Dumbledore's Daughter
by Dulcis Caelum
Summary: There's only one person who can help Harry defeat the Dark Lord, and she's been living as a muggle for 16 years! Ella comes to Hogwarts during the trio's sixth year, and havoc ensues. A good read! Chap. one has poor formatting-but i figured it out!
1. Strange Magic

The kitchen was swathed in the golden hued light that comes with dreary fall afternoons. A scented candle burned on the island ledge, and mug of steaming spiced cider filled the room with the smell of cloves and cinnamon. Ella sat at the kitchen table with her history homework spread in front of her. She tapped her pen on the table in time with the Allison Krause wafting from the stereo.  
The front door slammed and Eliza stomped into the house, letting in a blast of pre-winter air. Ella sat back against the wooden rungs of her chair and sighed, she wasn't going to get any work done now that Eliza was home. Her red headed little sister tumbled in to the room and dumped the mail, her backpack, and her lunch on the floor. She shouted a greeting as she ran to turn on the television. The blaring sound effects of a cartoon show drowned out Ella's soothing music, and the smell of day old salami sandwich became apparent. Ella stood up and began to pick up the trail of debris left behind by the seven year old. She put the lunch box on the counter and set the book bag on the stairs. Ella sorted through the mail as she walked back to the kitchen. There was the usual junk mail, a few bills, a notice from Ella's high school, and a letter addressed to her.  
Ella turned over the piece of folded parchment in her hands. She almost dropped it as a shiver went form the tips of her fingers to the bottom of her spine. It seemed to have some sort of energy to it. Ella noted the scarlet wax seal and began to pick it. Suddenly the quiet peace of the afternoon was interrupted by a screech. Ella shoved the letter into her skirt pocket and dashed outside. Andrew, the little boy from next door was sitting in her driveway holding his shin and wailing. Ella ran over and scooped up the little boy in her arms.  
"What happened buddy?" Ella set him on the porch and blotted at the nasty scrape on his shin with a tissue.  
"A Boy," (sniff sniff) "With a skate board,"(sniffle) " He took my game boy and hit me with his skateboard." Andrew sniffled " I want my mom!"  
"Brandon." Ella spat this name out with such vigor that the little boy stepped back, startled. " Go on home Andrew I have to." Ella trailed off as she began to see red. This kid was the neighborhood bully. He went around on his stupid skateboard, whacking little kids, cats, dogs, and even adults and kids his own age with his skateboard. He threw garbage in people's lawns and smashed mailboxes. Those were some of his minor offenses. Ella disregarded the little boy as he ran through her yard to his house, and began to walk. Everything but her rage and hatred towards the bully was forgotten.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Ella marched down the street blindly, she had no idea where she was going but she knew she was going to do something about Brandon. She suddenly realized that she was at the end of the street. The icy wind whipped her Dark brown hair, and her bright green eyes were piercing with anger. The wind was biting at her arms and bare toes, but she didn't care. All of her attention was focused on a figure hunched over a skateboard at the end of the vacant lot. The figure looked up and grinned. He loved to see her angry.  
"Ell, what brings you around.." He trailed off suggestively.  
"This!" she hissed at him. She threw the bloody tissue at his feet.  
"Well thanks for the gift Ell, but I didn't get you anything" Brandon stood up with one foot on his skateboard. Ella's rage was mounting inside her. It was building up, to the point of bursting. Brandon rolled over beside her and propped up his board. He sauntered close to her with his hand in his pockets and stood six inches from her face.  
"I don't know what your talking about Ella, why are you so angry with me?" Ella silently eyed him as his hand left his pocket. He moved to put his arm around her waist and she leaned towards him. Brandon put his other hand on the side of her face. Ella reached into his pocket and grabbed Andrew's game boy. She pushed Brandon away from her just as he leaned in to kiss her.  
"Yo, Ell what was that, I thought we had something mutual here?" He held out his arms and took a step towards her. Ella waved the Game boy in his face and turned to walk away. Brandon grabbed her arm, and spun her around. He tried to kiss her again, this time roughly grabbing her, forcing her into it. Ella's rage exploded.  
She felt like a balloon had popped inside her head, and all the air was escaping. Ella pushed him away once again, and power surged through her. Brandon's eyes grew wide as the wind began to blow. Ella's clothes were whipped around her and she stood staring at him, with loathing him with every inch of her being. Brandon turned to run away and Ella held up her hand. Brandon smacked into and invisible wall. He turned to run in another direction, and was apprehended by another unseen force. He spread his arms out and found he couldn't move in any direction. His eyes grew wide with fear.  
Ella took a step towards him. Brandon, in an act of desperation tried to throw his skateboard at her. It flew towards her in mid air. Ella held up her hand, and it exploded into a million pieces. The wind roared, she could hardly hear her self speak. Ella touched her hand to her throat and heard her voice resounding unnaturally.  
"Don't. Mess. With. Me." Ella dropped her hand to her side and the wind stopped howling. Brandon, terrified ran blindly in the other direction. Ella smiled to her self, and feeling suddenly weak looked for a place to sit down. She turned around, and tried to focus her eyes on the sight before her. A Boy with messy dark hair, wearing a cloak, was floating above the ground on a broomstick. Four owls fluttered beside him holding a sort of stretcher made of a blanket and two other broomsticks. The boy raised an eyebrow at her and asked her a simple question. "Tired?" "Exhausted." She replied. The boy shot her a charming smile, and everything went black. 


	2. Spells and Spills

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to the GENUIS J.K. Rowling. Now, I wouldn't want to steal from you Jo-Anne, plus I have no money! So don't sue me! However all original characters belong to me. So there :-P  
  
A/N: Sorry I took me so long to update, there was a computer death, and winter. I was also working on my other story, on Fictionpress.com (Username: Stellamara). But it seems I've hit a block on that one, so I came back to this. Enjoy. Review. Please.  
  
O  
  
Ella's nostrils were under attack. A pungent, peppery smell was forcing her watering eyes open to search for the source. Ella opened one eye cautiously, and was met with darkness. She panicked for a moment, realizing she was lying in a bed, underneath some pleasantly rough sheets. Then she realized that she wasn't wearing the skirt and shirt anymore, she was wearing a pair of flannel pajamas. She sat up with a start, frightened, ready to fight off her kidnappers, and a sledgehammer assailed her brain. Ella moaned audibly and rolled onto her side, throwing the covers over her head. She opened her eyes again, and was met by darkness.  
A door creaked open and Ella lay very still, hoping who ever it was wasn't an axe murderer. To her relief she heard a young female voice, belonging to someone about her own age.  
"Bring it in here Ron, Carefully now, don't trip over the door frame." The voice hissed.  
"Cor, Hermione, I'm not going to drop it, and beside it's just pepper- up potion! We could have bought some at the apothecary but noooo, you had to make it yourself! Why-"Ron was cut off by the voce that apparently belonged to someone named Hermione.  
"You know very well, Ron Weasley that the pepper-up potion is going to be on our finals this year! And if it's not perfect, Snape will have our brains on toast for breakfast."  
"Yeah," he retorted sarcastically. "Along with his morning mug of Hufflepuff blood, that is, after he finishes poking pins in his Harry voodoo doll." There was a clunk, and a large sloshing sound. "Bloody hell!"  
"RON!" The girl screeched loudly, whereas their entire conversation before had been held in whispers.  
Ella had had enough. Much to her regret she sat up again, and opened her eyes ignoring the pounding headache and the flat blackness. Flat blackness... Ella began to panic again. I'm blind! She thought to herself. Then the memories came flooding back, the mundane afternoon, her attack on Brandon, and the dark haired boy-  
There was a whooshing noise, like curtains being thrown apart and Hermione spoke.  
"Ella? Drink this." Ella could hear liquid sloshing as the drink was thrust towards her.  
"I can't see! Where am I? How did I get here? WHO ARE YOU-"Ella nearly choked as a burning liquid was poured down her throat. She had no choice but to swallow. "What was that stuff?" Ella was terrified, what if these weren't teenagers? What if they were just insanely childish sounding kidnappers? Her internal dialogue was interrupted by a hand on her wrist. "Don't touch me." She snapped. The hand moved away.  
"If you'll hold still, I'll fix your eyes for you." Hermione pleaded.  
"Why should I? How do I know you're not going to poke them out!"  
"If you want your sight back, shut up and let Hermione fix your eyes!" Ella ignored Ron and resolved to closing her mouth, clenching her fists, and shutting her eyes completely.  
"This is bloody ridiculus. PETRIFICUS TOTALLUS"  
It was the strangest sensation. Ella's whole body straightened out and her limbs snapped together. She tried to move and found that she was paralyzed. Her adrenaline began to pump, aided by the frantic screaming of Hermione.  
"RON WEASLEY, HOW COULD YOU!? SHE'S PROBABLY TERRIFIED! SHE HAS NO IDEA WHERE SHE IS, OR HOW SHE GOT HERE! ALL SHE KNOWS IS THAT TWO STRANGE WIZARDS ARE POKING HER WITH WANDS TRYING TO FIX HER VARIOUS AILMENTS THAT SHE PROBABLY THINKS WE INFLICTED!" Hermione sounded truly furious with him.  
"Stop hollering at me and fix her eyes so I can un-freeze her!" Ron snapped back. "Oh, right- Claresco! Finite incantantem!" Ella's vision cleared and her limbs regained the ability to move. She sat up in her bed. Two teenagers stared at her, waiting for a response. Ella slapped the redheaded boy. "ARRRGH!" To her surprise, Hermione began to laugh hysterically. She then turned to Ella, and held out her hand. "Hermione Granger." Hermione smiled warmly. You're at the Leaky Cauldron. Diagon Alley, London. This moron is Ron Weasley." "Thanks Hermione." Ron said sarcastically, rubbing his cheek. "I think you added a little too much boomslang to the pepper up potion. She's rather feisty." Ella chose to ignore this. "Ella Erodel." Ella smiled at Hermione, blatantly ignoring Ron. They seemed harmless enough. "What am I doing here?" Ella asked again. Hermione and Ron exchanged glances. Ron opened his mouth to speak, and Hermione shook her head slightly. "Well, when Harry gets back from his meeting with Hagrid we'll have a talk. Until then let's get something to eat." Ron grabbed Hermione by the arm and started pulling her towards the door. Ella stepped out of the bed and put her bare feet on the floor. "Uhh, I can't go anywhere dressed like this." She motioned at her attire. "Oh of course! Ron why don't you have something brought up for lunch, it's probably a better idea anyways. Hold on a minute, Ella." Hermione opened a trunk at the end of the other bed in the room, and pulled out a plaid skirt and a white button down shirt. Ron was still in the doorway, he sniggered when he saw the clothes. "Oh, shut up Ron. It's the only muggle clothes we're allowed at Hogwarts, and so it's all I brought with me! What am I supposed to do? Give her my dress robes to wear? Honestly...." Their bickering trailed off as the two slipped into the hallway and continued, muffled by the door. Ella donned the clothes Hermione had lent her wondering what robes they were talking about, and slipped into her sandals. She sat down on the edge of her bed and bit her lip. Her parents must be worried sick, and who was taking care of Eliza?! Ella stood up and walked over the mirror. She ran her fingers through her tousled hair straightening it out as good as possible. "Try a brush, sweetheart." Ella yelped and jumped backwards. It must have been and aftereffect of the, whatever it was that had been wrong with her... wait a minute Ella thought, Hermione said that was a potion I drank, and she fixed my eyes- with a spell? Ella turned back to the mirror. "Who are you?" She questioned it. "I'm your mirror." It answered. Ella was only slightly surprised this time.  
  
"Oh." She replied. "Hermione..?" She called. The door flew open again.  
"Yes?" Hermione bustled in followed by a rather sullen looking Ron.  
"Why is my Mirror talking to me?" Hermione stopped and bit her lip again.  
"Err, well perhaps you should ask Harry, he'll know-"  
"Know what?" Hermione was cut off by a friendly voice in the doorway. The dark haired boy she had seen earlier was viewing the scene before him with amusement, his hands in his pockets. He was wearing a faded pair of jeans, and a sweater with a winged golden ball knitted into it. Odd, Ella thought. Hermione stopped wringing her hands and smiled.  
"Harry! Perhaps we could explain to Ella what's going on?" Ella sighed.  
"Yes, Perhaps?" She mimicked Hermione's British accent. Harry chuckled warmly and sat down. He reached into the desk under the talking mirror and pulled out a piece of blank parchment. He then extracted a thin wooden wand from his pocket. Ella's mouth dropped open slightly, and she raised her eyebrow.  
"What, are you doing?" Ella was mystified. Harry grinned and tapped the parchment with his wand.  
"Ostento Manifesto" a thin dot appeared on the parchment and spread outwards, creating letters, and a picture. Ella peered closer at it, and snatched it away from Harry.  
"THAT'S ME!" She hollered. "Why do you have a picture of me? And, that's my address! My age! MY BIRTHDAY!?" Ella hugged the parchment to her chest. "Where did you get this information, why do you have it?" Harry took the parchment back form her and tapped it with his wand again.  
"Obstergeo." Harry rolled it up and put it in his pocket. "I got it from your father." Ella laughed out loud.  
"My father gave a bunch of British teenagers whom I don't even know a piece of parchment with very personal information about me on it? I highly doubt that." Harry shook his head and pushed his glasses up his nose.  
"Up until the age of eleven, I thought my parents had died in a car wreck. I was fed this lie by my aunt and uncle, whom I lived with at the time. They had taken care of me since I was a baby. Shortly before my eleventh birthday I began receiving letters, letters on parchment with scarlet wax seals. Ever received a letter like that?" Ella shook her head.  
"No I-..." Ella thought for a moment, the day all this happened, there had been a letter. It was for her, in fact it was in her skirt pocket. "Wait a minute, I did. I haven't read it yet though."  
"Well don't bother. We'll tell you what it says." Harry cleared his throat intentionally and drew a huge breath. Hermione sighed loudly and gave one of her favorite "honestly" 's, Ron sniggered. "Dear Ms. Erodel, You have been accepted to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry." Harry finished this statement with flourish, looking very pleased with himself. Ella stared at him with her right eyebrow raised.  
"Witchcraft? So, you're telling me that magic does exist..." Hermione beamed at her.  
"Yes it does!" Hermione pulled a thin wooden stick out of her pocket. Ron and Harry followed suit. "These are wands. This is what we channel our magic through. You'll be going to Hogwarts, Ella, where you'll be sorted into a house. After you're sorted you'll be receiving private instruction from all of our professors until you demonstrate the ability to join the rest of the sixth years in classes." Ron smirked.  
"And knowing your lineage, that should be what, a week?" He shook with mirth at his own joke. Hermione smacked him, and hissed something in his ear. "Sorry, Hermione..." Ron looked sheepish.  
"My lineage? But my parents aren't Wizards, are they?" Harry suddenly looked apprehensive.  
"You're adopted aren't you Ella?"  
"Yes, but... Do you know who my real parents are?" Ella began to shake slightly. She'd asked her parents before, but they had always claimed they didn't know.  
"You see Ella, We all have great Destinies. Yours and mine intertwine. I have a mission to fulfill. Recently I found out that there's only one person who can help me directly. One person to help me fight my battle. A witch with power the wizarding world hasn't seen the likes of since Dumbledore. A witch as powerful as her father, and as smart and disciplined as her mother. The combined talents of these two created a child whose destiny was to help me overthrow Voldemort. You are that child, Ella." Ella was slightly in shock. Ron helped clear things up.  
"Lets review. You're a witch. You're going to help Harry because it's your destiny, and Dumbledore is your father."  
"Who's Dumbledore? And Voldemort, and wait, who's my mother?" All three of them shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. Hermione spoke first.  
"This is ridiculous. We'll be here all day explaining... ohh, Emancipo agnitio!" Ella's vision clouded over, and her mouth filled with a cottony sensation. Then she saw light, scarlet, green, yellow, and blue. The colors shot across her vision like lasers in a cheap arcade game. The lights swirled together and formed a ball of turbulent color, then it shot towards her at an astonishing speed. Right before her eyes the ball burst into a million little sparks. Her vision began to clear, leaving her head feeling as though it had been cracked open again. Ella was furious.  
"NEXT TIME YOU'RE GOING TO CAST A SPELL ON ME, GIVE ME A LITTLE WARNING! AT LEAST GIVE ME A WAND SO I CAN CAST ONE BACK AT YOU NEXT TIME!" Hermione and Ron were stunned, while Harry chuckled softly to himself. Hermione suddenly snapped to attention.  
"Oh! That reminds me, we have to let Dumbledore know that we've got her. Harry, you take Ella to Diagon alley for her supplies, and I'll take some floo powder to Hogwarts." Ron looked stricken.  
"What about me?" Hermione looked at the ground, suddenly very interested in the hem of her robes. "Ron, you can stay here and help me...." She smiled slyly at him. "Review our latest information." Ron grinned from ear to ear and edged closer to Hermione. Harry turned a bit green around the edges and grabbed Ella's hand pulling her from the room.  
"We'll just leave you two to your reviewing then." There was no answer as he shut the door behind them. Harry put his hands in his pockets and smiled at Ella. "Reviewing information... That's Hermione for: snogging Ron senseless" Ella made a face, and then she smiled back.  
"I knew there was something going on between those two." Harry did an about face and began to march down the staircase behind him.  
"Come on, we've got to get you a cauldron, school robes, some quills, ink, and a wand." Harry continued his stroll down the stairs with Ella trailing behind him. They entered a dimly lit pub at the bottom of the steps. Ella judged that it was mid afternoon by the gold light streaming in through the window and the straggle of people sitting in booths and at the bar. A few them nodded and some greeted Harry with a smile and a "Afternoon, Mr. Potter." Ella noticed that some people stared at him in awe, while others hung back in fright. Either way, everyone turned to look. Harry wen't up to the bar tender, who passed him two bottles of a creamy liquid, and two sandwiches rolled up in napkins.  
"Thanks, Tom." Harry nodded politely at the older man. Tom smiled sat him and asked,  
"Is this your last night then, Mr. Potter?" Harry shifted uncomfortabley and looked at his shoes. He muttered something about talking to Hermione and shook his head in no particular direction. "I'll keep your room open then, Who's this lass?" Harry brightened again and introduced Ella to the friendly bar keep.  
"This is Ella Erodel, my friend and comrade." Harry put a definite emphasis on he word Comrade, and stared at Tom meaningfully. The Bar tenders eyes lit up and he leaned across the counter to have a better look at her. Ella smiled what she hoped was a courteous smile.  
"Bless my soul! It is her! She's got her mother's eyes, just like you Harry, But she's got her fathers smile, this one, and the combined talents of them both, I reckon. Pleased to meet you Ms. Dumbledore." He reached across the bar and took her hand, kissing it gently. He reached under the counter and pulled out something wrapped in foil. He put it in her palm and closed her hand around it. He put his finger to his lips and whispered, "shhhhh." And he let them go with another friendly smile.  
As Ella followed Harry out the back of the pub and into the alley behind it, she began to feel the events of the day wearing on her. She wasn't quite sure she believed in all this, maybe it was just a dream, and she'd wake up, lying in the field where she'd fought Brandon. And then it hit her.  
Fought Brandon... she'd fought Brandon! Controlling a power she'd hadn't known she possessed. She was a witch. She was adopted, and her real father was this amazing wizard everyone was talking about. Where else could she have gotten this power? Ella's train of thought was interrupted, and she stood standing in awe, Harry beckoning her to walk through the hole in the wall that was slowly opening, forming an archway into a bustling street.  
"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Harry smiled. 


	3. Wand Shopping

Just want to thank all the people who reviewed! I never get reviews! EyesofEmerald- Thanks! I LURVE the name Ella too. I tried to make Harry a little more cheerful than usual. But he's not going to be that way through the whole thing, you'll see ;-). Shina-Etsu- Good to know :-). Rae-bo the Jedi Knight –I'll keep that in mind! Slimpun- ummm.. thanks? Lol, you made me laugh. Ever In The Shadows- I will! And if I don't update feel free to email me and yell at me!  
  
You're all so Kind! I'm working extra hard now. Thanks for the suggestions.  
  
Harry and Ella spent the rest of the afternoon in Diagon alley. The first place they went was Madame Malkin's for her school robes, and a few things to wear for the remainder of the summer. Ella would have been happy with muggle clothes, except she didn't have any, and Harry was slightly perturbed by the extra attention she drew parading around in her muggle attire. Ella thoroughly enjoyed Flourish and Blotts, where she selected a few different colored quills and some ink. Harry had gone off to get her cauldron, leaving Ella to explore on her own for a bit. She was fascinated by the titles of the books on the walls.  
"Cheering Charms and Open Arms: Literary Aid for the Grumpy House Elf" By Ardus Dukemp.  
"Bubbles and Baubles: Everyday Housework Spells and Charms" By Driselle Pleuman.  
Eventually Ella worked her way out of the self-help section and over to the schoolbooks. There were standard books of spells by Miranda Goshawk everywhere, along with various books with intimidating titles like "Common Cures and Remedies for O.W.L and N.E.W.T Induced Breakdowns and Psychotic Episodes." Suddenly Ella felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Harry.  
"You won't be needing those, yet anyways." He was holding a cauldron under his arm. He took her writing supplies from her and stuffed them in the cauldron along with her robes. They left Flourish and Blotts and walked into the waning afternoon light. Ella looked back mournfully at the façade of her favorite store. Harry grinned.  
"Don't worry, we'll go back. And plus, we're off to Ollivander's for your wand now!" Harry led the way to a dusty shop on the corner of the street. He pushed the door open and they entered quietly. The shop appeared to be empty. Ella leaned over about to whisper that maybe they should come back later, when a grey little old man appeared behind the front desk.  
He looked like an owl. It was a strange habit, but ever since she was a young child Ella had always compared people to animals. His eyes were large and he blinked slowly and purposefully, as if he was trying to remove every last microscopic speck of dust from his eyeballs. His face was round and wide and his mouth was pointy and pursed together as if he was about to perch on the desk and hoot at any moment.  
Ella was shaken from her reverie when the oversized owl spoke.  
"Dumbledore said you would be here today. Ahh... Mr. Potter. One of my most powerful wands. 11 inches, holly, phoenix feather. Nice and supple. But we'll be expecting something just as powerful for you my dear. Now if I remember correctly, I've got just the thing for you." The little man disappeared under the desk.  
Harry leaned over and whispered in Ella's ear,  
"Ollivander's the best wand maker in all of England, he remembers every wand he's ever sold." Ollivander re-appeared above the desk with a large mahogany box in his hand. He set it down on the desktop and tapped it with his wand three times, in different spots. The box opened slowly, it's lid raising, and spilling years worth of dust off the top. Ella sneezed, and Ollivander shot her a harsh look. He turned the box around so they could see what was inside. The box was made for four wands, each resting in a little indentation on the blue velvet lining, but only three wands rested in the box. One space, the second to the right, was empty.  
"Wand arm." Ollivander snapped. Ella assumed this was the hand she wrote with and stuck out her right arm. A tape measure slithered out of Ollivander's pocket and across the desk. It began to measure Ella's wrist and arm. She could have sworn she heard Harry mutter something about "the point of this nonsense" and the tape measure slithered back across the desk and back into Ollivander's pocket. He selected the first wand out of the box.  
"These are some of my finest, most powerful wands. Each contains a unique core, and each is made of only the finest wand wood." He handed her the wand. "11 inches, Holly, Unicorn Tail." Ella took it, not quite sure what to do. Harry whispered under his breath, "wave it". So she did. A chair in the corner of the room exploded, sending splinters of wood everywhere. Harry flung up his wand and yelled  
"Ipera Ivanesca!" The splinters of wood burst into flame and incinerated mid flight, fluttering harmlessly to the ground. Ollivander raised a bushy gray eyebrow.  
"Like I said, very powerful. Stay on your guard Mr. Potter, if you please." He carefully pulled the next wand out of the box, this time from the far right. "Yew, Demiguise Hair, 12 inches. Try it out. Mr. Potter, wand ready please. Ella braced her self and gave this wand a wave. The front window of the shop shattered and sprinkled the shop front and worn red carpet inside with broken glass. Harry waved at the glass and spoke sternly,  
"Reparo." The glass flew together and formed the window again. It was like watching an insanely difficult jigsaw puzzle being put together at triple speed. Ella was speechless. Magic was amazing. Ollivander had picked up the last wand from the box. He studied it carefully and blew some dust of the end of it. He slowly surrendered the wand over to Ella.  
"One of my favorites. 13 inches, Rosewood, Chimaera Scale. Very rare, very powerful. Good for all types of magic." A shiver ran down Ella's spine as she took the wand in her hand. She peered closely at the handle of it, unlike the other wands she had seen; this one had tiny vines carved around the handle. She grasped it in her hand. It fit perfectly. Suddenly she knew just what to do. She gave the wand a swish, and then a flick. Everything thing in the room, including herself, Harry, and Ollivander began to emanate a golden light, and slowly raised up into the air a good foot and a half. The room was blinding. Ella gave the wand a few downward flicks, and everything floated gently to the ground, the shelves holding the thousands of wand boxes landing with a soft thud, nothing was disturbed.  
"Well." Ollivander smiled broadly, an expression that made his large eyes half disappear behind his cheeks. "Like I always say, the wand chooses the wizard. Take it. It's yours." Ella held her new wand in her hand, admiring it. She looked up at Ollivander and smiled, with a new respect for the old man.  
"Thank you, sir." Ollivander turned and disappeared into the wand shelves behind his desk. As they turned to leave, Ella noticed Harry gaping at her with something like awe in his eyes. They left the shop and entered the dusky street, walking silently down Diagon alley in no particular direction. Harry seemed rather distant all of a sudden.  
"What's wrong?" Ella inquired. Her footsteps on the cobbled streets echoed off the walls of the shops. Harry looked up at her with a surprised expression, as if she had just informed him that his ears were purple.  
"Nothing... Let's go to the Magical Menagerie. I'm going to buy you a pet for Hogwarts. A friend of mine bought me my owl on a trip like this. This is my chance to return the favor." He headed across the street to a tall, warmly lit building with birdcages hanging in the windows. Ella hesitated for a moment before following. The cheerful, sunny Harry had vanished for a moment. Harry had just unwittingly shown Ella another side of himself. A side she was sure he didn't want her to see. 


	4. The Sorting and The Task at Hand

A/N: How the hay do I make the spaces? Somebody let me know because it is rather difficult to read. AIM: grayscaledream Shina etsu- what wan't? Eyes of Emerald- I'm reading your story! I love it!  
  
The Magical Menagerie proved to be even more fun than Flourish and Blotts. It was a store filled with both muggle and magical creatures. There were sleek dancing black rats, beautiful snowy owls, and fluffy cats. There was even a Crumple-Horned Snorkack for sale in the rare breeds room. Harry dissolved into laughter at the sight of this creature, A shaggy goat like thing with a single horn on it forehead, that looked like it was made out of yellow play-doh. It was a comical sight, but not funny enough to induce the kind of glee Harry seemed to be experiencing at the moment.  
"Umm, Care to explain?" Ella inquired after about five minutes uncontrollable laughter.  
"Wait-" Snort. "till Her-" Guffaw. "Hermione and-" Giggle. "Ron-" Gasp. "See this!" Ella wandered off to the cat section leaving Harry to recover himself. She wandered the room stopping occasionally to pet the cats that wound around her feet. Sitting down on a stool in the middle of the room she began appraising the different cats. All of the animals were realtivley the same, mewling, rolling, sparring with each other or napping. But one animal stood out. A tabby sat in the corner watching her intently. The cat was small and thin. It had odd black markings around its eyes.  
Ella stood up and kneeled before the cat holding out her hand for it to sniff. The cat ignored this gesture, and stood up on all four legs, as if evaluating Ella. Ella sat down next to the cat making sure to give her space, and to her surprise the cat rubbed up a against her knee and began to purr.  
There was something odd about this cat. Her purr was mournful, yet happy at the same time. Ella picked up the tabby and cuddled her close, scratching her ears.  
"Have you found one you like then?" The cat leapt from Ella's arms, and ran in the other direction, but it was too late. Harry had spotted her.  
  
"PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL?" Harry yelled. The cat stopped mid stride, and turned around slowly. She seemed to be glaring at Harry. Suddenly she stretched upwards. Then Ella noticed something. She wasn't just stretching, she was growing. The cat features were slowly changing into people features. Ella's mouth dropped open.  
"Hello professor..." Harry said uncertainly. A tall intimidating woman stood before them. Her chestnut hair was tied in a bun, and her green eyes glittered like a cats. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. "You know professor, if you had wanted to see her, you could have stopped by the leaky cauldron." Harry said gently.  
"I know that Mr. Potter." McGonagall snapped. She seemed to be regaining her composure now, mopping at her eyes with a tartan handkerchief. "I just, well, do I need to explain myself to you?!" Harry looked sheepish.  
"Sorry professor." McGonagall straightened her back and tucked her handkerchief away.  
"That's all right. I'll be taking Ella with me, you run back to the leaky cauldron now. Make quite sure that her things make it to the train, if she doesn't come back." Harry and Ella looked surprised.  
"Why wouldn't I be coming back?" McGonagall looked at her, surprised. "We're going to Hogwarts, to have a chat with Dumbledore."  
"My father?" Ella asked this hesitantly. The professor bit her upper lip.  
"Yes. Your father." Ella filled with apprehension at the prospect of meeting this man. She had so many questions to ask him. Mainly, why had he left her to be raised by muggles, when he was alive and apparently, from what she had heard about him, well? This all evaporated from her mind as Professor McGonagall grabbed her shoulder.  
"Close your eyes and focus on the words; Hogwarts, and headmaster's office, dear. We're going to apparate." Ella chose not to question this and simply did what she was told. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on the two phrases, and suddenly there was a crack! Ella felt a strange whooshing sensation, and there was a pop. She opened her eyes. She was standing in a circular room. It was grandly furnished in scarlet and gold. Bookcases lined the walls and portraits of sleeping people furnished the spaces between them. Soft gold light filled the room emanating from the candlelit chandeliers and sconces. A ghost floated through the wall.  
...A ghost floated through the wall?  
Ella screamed, and clutched professor McGonagall's robes. The ghost stopped and spun slowly around to face them. It was a cheery man dressed in the clothes of a 15th century wizard, or at least, what probably had been a sixteenth century wizard.  
"Ella! Welcome back! We have missed you darling, why the last time I saw you you were" He paused, thinking " 2 years old! Just a little tot and already levitating things... without so much as a wand!" The ghost seemed to forget they were there. "Yes a powerful child indeed, its no wonder with her parentage-"Professor McGonagall interrupted him.  
"Sir Nicholas, is Dumbledore here?" Nicholas looked up from his rambling and nodded his head, which promptly fell off. Ella clutched McGonagall's robes even tighter. The ghost popped his head back on.  
"Yes, he's in his room, I'll just fetch him then..." Sir Nicholas trailed off through a door at the top of the circular dais they were facing. Ella let go of McGonagall's robes and sank into a squashy purple chair. Suddenly she was exhausted. And hungry. A tea tray appeared in her lap, with a roast beef sandwiches, fries, and a goblet of some orange substance. Somehow this didn't surprise her. She tasted the liquid in the goblet. Pumpkin juice? Ella felt eyes on her. She looked up to see a stately old man staring at her from the stairs of the dais. Dumbledore, she thought. Ella set the tea tray on the table that had appeared next to her chair and stood up, not quite sure what to say to him. There was a long pause in which the three people did nothing but stare at each other, but, somehow it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.  
"Minerva..."Ella assumed he was addressing McGonagall, because she wen't to stand beside him. He put his arm around her waist. They both beamed at her.  
"She's gorgeous isn't she Albus?" Dumbledore smile at Ella and beckoned her to come forward. She walked towards them hesitantly. Dumbledore pulled away from McGonagall, and went to sit behind his desk. Several silver instruments were spinning busily on the desktop, whirring and clicking quietly. McGonagall joined him in a chair next to the desk. Ella followed suit and sat down in front of them. Dumbledore clasped his hands. His blue eyes were twinkling.  
"Ella, we've missed you." She was desperately confused now. "We're your parents Ella. Your real mother and father." Ella stared blankly. The two older people smiled at her. "Well then, Fire away!" Dumbledore accented this with a loud crack from his wand, which emitted a stream of gray smoke. She was quite sure he was insane now.  
"What?" Ella was dumbfounded.  
"Questions, my dear, questions, I'm sure you have questions!" he stated this as though she should have known. "Let's get the hard ones out of the way first. The reason we gave you up for adoption is because you were I danger. We chose to send you to America because the magical population is significantly low there. We knew the Deatheaters wouldn't find you. The people who have been taking care of you you're whole life are relatives of Minerva, squibs- people born into magical families without an ounce of magic themselves." The twinkle had faded from his eyes, he looked a little sad. McGonagall had clasped her hands in her lap and was staring at Ella as if she couldn't get enough of her.  
"Deatheaters?" This Wizard lingo was strange, and after only one day in the magical world Ella had only caught onto a few words.  
"Think about it. I do believe Miss. Hermione Granger placed a most useful spell on you earlier." Ella thought about it. And found that she knew what a Deatheater was. A follower of lord Voldemort, one sworn into his inner circle.  
"But why were they trying to kill me?" Dumbledore sighed at this. And he looked rather disappointed.  
"You see, Ella, Voldemort attempted to murder the Potters when you and Harry were a mere one year old each. He only succeeded in killing Harry's parents, and when he turned on Harry, his mother died to protect him. Voldemort tried to kill the baby and his curse rebounded. He was reduced to a shadow of his former self. Unfortunately there is a prophecy, and prophecies almost always come true. Harry is the only one who can destroy Lord Voldemort." Oh. Ella thought. It was all clear now. Sort of.  
"What do I have to do with this." Dumbledore his sad little smile again.  
"Although very talented, and one of the most powerful students in Hogwarts, Harry is not nearly powerful enough to defeat the Dark Lord on his own. That's where you come in. The two of you will have to work together this year. You must find away to combine your talents, and defeat Voldemort, together." Ella still wasn't clear on why she had to be the one to do this.  
"But why me!?" Dumbledore stood up and began to walk the length of the room. McGonagall seemed to puff up a little with pride.  
"You Ella, are the product of three things. Something Voldemort fears, something he lacks, and something he knows nothing about." Dumbledore stopped pacing and turned to face her. "You are my offspring, and I am the only person Voldemort fears." He took one step towards his desk. Ella followed him with her eyes. "You are creature of white magic, Voldemort has only dark." He took a few more steps and stopped next to Professor McGonagall, her mother. "And finally, you are a product of love. Voldemort has never had, or given love. He knows nothing of it. Keep these three things in mind Ella, for they may prove useful in the future." Her mother and father beamed down at her obviously very proud of their "offspring" as Dumbledore had put it. Ella stared back and tried to smile what she hoped was a warm, happy daughter smile. Her mother stood up.  
"Ella, along with your regular schooling you and Harry will be receiving extra defense against the dark arts lessons, starting this week. We've sent for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, you'll spend the rest of the summer here." Well. This sounded like fun, except for the whole prospect of dying fighting this all-powerful dark wizard. One question was pressing at Ella and she had to ask, even though she knew it would sound silly after the serious conversation.  
"Where are we sleeping?" McGonagall looked rather amused by this, and Dumbledore chuckled.  
"When the other students arrive you'll be sleeping in the dormitories with your respective houses. Till then, you'll be staying in a guest suite. Harry, Ron and Hermione are all Gryffindors. We have to sort you still." McGonagall's lip began to tremble a bit. "Which reminds me, Dumbledore, the sorting hat?" Just then the door slid open at the bottom of the dais and Harry, Ron and Hermione slipped in quietly.  
"Ah, just in time for Ella's sorting! Please sit down, make yourselves comfortable." Dumbledore was beaming again. Harry looked overjoyed and he settled himself in one of squashy purple chairs immediately. Hermione and Ron however, were a bit apprehensive sitting stiffly on a couch.  
Ella's mother looked rather distressed, and Dumbledore walked over to her putting his arm around her shoulder. He whispered something in her ear and Ella only caught parts of it. "Whichever house she's in...mumble... right choice...mumble mumble.. just have to accept it." Ella was a little distressed herself now. What did they mean sorting? She remembered what Dumbledore had said earlier and thought about. Ah! The sorting hat! It was going to put her into one of the four houses of Hogwarts. Ella spun around looking for the sorting hat. There it was! On a shelf behind Dumbledore's desk sat a beat up old hat. It was tattered and ancient, and it had a large tear above the rim. Dumbledore reached up and gingerly picked it off the shelf. He brought it over to Ella and sat it gently on her head. To her surprise a growly voice sounded inside her head.  
  
iOh my, what have we here? Dumbledore's daughter? I see you're Minerva McGonagall's too, this is going to be difficult. Let's see... Oh my, not Slytherin! Not with this kind of power! No you're too powerful for Slytherin or Hufflepuff. It'll have to be either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. You're brave, and you have a great destiny, but you're smart too. Very smart. Oh this is difficult. I've never seen so much power! Yes that does it. You're mother will be heart broken, though it's for the best! Wouldn't want her being bias now would we? No I think you'll excel in-i/  
  
Ella felt the great brim of the dusty old hat creak open-  
"RAVENCLAW!" Her mother sank into a chair hanging her head in disappointment. Harry's mouth dropped open, while Hermione and Ron stood up shouting protests. Hermione was complaining that Ella would need to be with Harry to practice and study, and Ron was shouting various shortcomings of the Ravenclaws. All through this, Dumbledore smiled, looking rather pleased. He held up his hand. Silence came over the room once again.  
"I was a Ravenclaw. As you know, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are on good terms. Due to your circumstances, Ella will be allowed to frequent the Gryffindor common room, and Harry will be allowed in the Ravenclaw." Harry perked up a bit at the prospect of visiting another common room. Ella was still a bit dumbfounded.  
"It's late, and you all have things to do tomorrow! Off to bed. Follow me this way. McGonagall swept out of the headmaster's office and Harry, Ron and Hermione followed awkwardly. Ella hesitated a moment before following. She paused at the doorway and turned to wave at her father before it closed. He smiled at her and the door closed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
Dumbledore sat down at his desk wearily. Minerva was showing the children to their suite, but she would be back shortly, no doubt. Asking questions he needed to ask himself. Sure enough, the door slid open and Minerva swept in, upset.  
"Albus,-"He cut her off.  
"Minerva." Dumbledore stood up and went to face the empty portrait of Phineas Nigellus, the man hadn't been back to his painting since the death of his great-great-great-grandson.  
"Albus don't avoid this conversation." Minerva was now standing quite close to him, and speaking rather loudly. Dumbledore turned to face her. " Are we doing the right thing?" Her eyes began to tear. "She's our only child Albus! How can we send a child to fight Voldemort? I don't want to see her perish in vain, or Harry either for that matter! Why the children?" Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now. Albus reached up and put his hands on either side of his wife's face. "Children are pure, Minerva. These two children especially can create a force together, powerful enough to demolish an army of Deatheaters along with Voldemort. They just have to find it for themselves." Minerva put her hand on top of Dumbledore's. "I know. I just hate to see her go through so much! Harry too, he's been like a son to you, I know how much you care for him!" Albus pulled Minerva close and hugged her tight. He sighed and said slowly, "It's tearing me apart as well darling."  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- Well? Do you like it so far? Review! Any suggestions to where this should go from here are welcome, and if anyone knows how to make the spaces between the lines bigger, they're my hero. I'll try to update this weekend. 


	5. A Witch's Familiar and a Home for the Ho...

I've been neglecting my disclaimer, so here it goes.  
All original characters belong to me. Don't use them without asking. Every one else belongs to J.K. Rowling. Except for Oliver wood. He's mine. J/K.  
  
A/N: as usual thanks for the reviews! A few reasons why I put Ella in Ravenclaw: 1. Ravenclaw is the "enigma" house; we hardly know anything about it, I thought it would be fun to see the inside of the common room and meet some of the other students.  
  
2. Ella's powerful and smart, but she's not very brave or bold. Sure she has fits of rage and such, but those are rare, and they take a while to boil.  
  
3. This one's a secret ^_^! You'll find out soon enough.  
  
4. I like Ravenclaw ok?  
  
BTW: I was thinking about taking a leaf out of eyesofemerald's book and putting myself in my story, any objections?  
  
McGonagall shut the door behind her, leaving the four teenagers staring in awe at their suite. Or rather, wing. There was a common room decorated in deep purple velvets and satins. Everything was plush and comfortable, but it also had an air of luxury about it. The large marble fireplace had a log in it that magically burst into flame upon their entrance. The candles around the room lit one by one, starting by the fireplace and working their way around the room to the door. Several arm chairs and a small couch were situated around the fireplace. There was a table large enough for four people to sit at and eat or read. The portraits on the walls were all of different magical creatures, and a few friendly looking witches and wizards. Ella noticed that one portrait in the corner of the room was empty.  
  
Ron came to himself and flopped down onto the couch.  
  
"Well. This will do nicely for the summer!" Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed. They glared at each other for a few seconds, tension building. Harry grabbed Ella by the arm and murmured,  
  
"Here we go again..." They tiptoed off into one of the doorways that stood next to the fireplace. Harry closed the door so it was still open a crack, then leaned his ear against it and motioned for Ella to do the same. He grinned mischievously "And-" he clicked the door shut. "-Que." The shouting began, muffled at first, but then louder so they could hear various phrases like "insufferable git" and "Bookish know it all". All of a sudden there was a booming "RON WEASLEY"! Then there was silence.  
  
Harry began to laugh hysterically. Ella was unsure why his friend's quarrel was amusing.  
  
"They think I don't know that they've been snogging each other for weeks." He smiled forlornly at this. "I expect they'll come out and tell me tomorrow. They're feeling guilty. I can tell." Ella smiled back; it was rather amusing come to think of it. The two bickered constantly, accomplishing nothing but making the attraction between them increasingly apparent.  
  
They stood for a moment in the dark corridor in silence, until Harry broke it.  
"Oh! I got you something!" Ella was taken aback, what could he possibly have gotten her?  
  
"Um, Thank you?" was her reply. Harry laughed.  
  
"What do you mean thank you? You haven't even seen it yet, now where..." Harry walked down the corridor. There were two doors on either side of the hallway. He tried the first one. "No this must be your room, it's pink!" H made a face and spun around trying the door across from it. "Ah ha! Here we are!" He disappeared into the room and Ella followed. This room was furnished with two beds, each hung luxuriously with dark green velvet hangings.  
  
When she entered the room he was holding a large chunk of cheese.  
  
His green eyes sparkled as he handed it over to her. Ella concluded that hewas insane, and accepted it graciously. Upon closer inspection, She realized that it was not a block of cheese, but a box made of some sort of soft yellow material with holes cut in it. She lifted the top off and gasped. A tiny kitten lat curled in the bottom of the box, fast asleep. Ella scooped it up and cuddled it in her arms.  
  
"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" Ella was cuddling the kitten with such ferocity that it had woken up. It was now giving Harry a rather annoyed look at being accosted by this strange girl. "Oh she's beautiful!" Harry blushed and admired his choice of kitten. She was a foggy gray and her coat was so shiny it seemed to be giving off light. She was soft and fluffy, but not ridiculously so, and her eyes were a pale, crystalline shade of blue.  
  
"Isn't she?" The kitten had decided that she liked Ella and commenced purring loudly. Ella had ceased her attack and resorted to sitting on Harry's bed cross legged scratching the cat's ears.  
  
"What are you going to name her?" Harry wondered out loud. Ella lifted the kitten up in front of her, appraising her from all sides.  
  
"She reminds me of night time, of the moon, or a star..." Ella trailed off, blinking fast. "Leila. It means night in Arabic." Harry was little shocked.  
  
"How did you remember that?" Ella smiled at him, and set the kitten, who had resumed her nap, down on his bed.  
  
"I just remember words well, that's all." Harry gave her an odd look. Again Ella saw something flash across his face. She decided to ask him about it.  
  
"Harry? Is there anything wro-"  
  
"Oh! Look at the time! It's past midnight! We should go to bed. The bathrooms probably at the end of the hall, would you like to go first?" Ella frowned at his obvious avoidance of her question.  
  
"No, you can go first." Harry practically bolted out of the room. Ella picked Leila up. The kitten began purring again and crawled onto Ella's shoulder. She strolled out into the hallway, careful not to knock her cat from her perch, and caught a glimpse of Harry's robes going around the bathroom door. "Harry," She called after him. Harry's head appeared. "You know you're a terrible liar." Ella grinned mischievously.  
  
"I know." He smiled and shut the door. Ella briefly considered going to get Ron and Hermione, and decided against it. She went into the pink room that Harry had mentioned earlier shutting the door behind her. Flames magically flared up in the fireplace, startling Ella. She jumped and Leila vacated her shoulder settling for her bed instead. There were two beds hung with deep pink velvet hangings, two chairs next two the fireplace and one desk against the wall. A large oak night table in-between the two beds was home to a mirror. Ella walked cautiously in front of it, preparing herself for another magical surprise.  
  
"You look exhausted dear! Go to bed this instant." A motherly voice scolded. Ella sighed, not another talking mirror!  
  
"I was just heading there, thanks." Ella began a search for her clothes. There was a door on the other side of the room. She crawled over the beds and opened it. A little room with shelves lining the walls was hidden there. Lit by a single candle hovering in the center of the room it was just big enough for her to stand in. Ella pulled one of the sets of pajama's she had purchased off the shelf nearest to her and changed quickly, still in the closet. She didn't trust that mirror.  
  
Ella emerged from the closet just in time to see Hermione sneaking into the room.  
  
"Oh, you're still awake! I thought..." Hermione's cheeks turned red and she bustled into the closet. Ella smiled knowingly and began tapping her foot, hands on her hips, standing patiently in front of the closet. Hermione came out dressed in a flannel nightgown and found Ella waiting for an explanation. "I uh, I was just..."  
  
Ella flopped down on to her bed next to Leila laughing madly.  
  
"He knows! Harry knows! Why don't you just come out and admit it! EVERYONE can tell!" Hermione looked like an overripe tomato by now. Something about someone named uncle Vernon popped into Ella's head. She wiped the thought away and sat up with her elbows on her knees and her tired head in her hands. Hermione sat down on the bed across from Ella, folding her legs neatly underneath her.  
  
"It really isn't that simple you know..." Ella raised an eyebrow skeptically. "We're not exactly a couple, we're...." Hermione wiggled and let out a frustrated groan, leaping across the space between the two beds to join Ella. "It just HAPPENS" She rolled over with her face buried in her arms. Ella felt terrible for making her feel bad. She touched Hermione's shoulder.  
  
"Hermione why-"The bushy haired girl sat up, and Ella realized she hadn't been crying, but laughing.  
  
"It's really quite ridiculous." She began to gesture madly with her hands, half mumbling to herself. Ella shook her head, British people! "– dancing around this for four years... And then one day out of the blue he just-"Dear lord, these people mumbled a lot!  
  
"HERMIONE!" Ella grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her from her rant. "We're tired. Lets just go to bed." The lights in the room dimmed till the room was almost pitch black, as if they had heard her. Hermione snapped out of it and shook her head. She wandered back to her own bed.  
  
"Right, bed, sleep. Got to go to the library tomorrow, need plenty of... plenty of...." Ella gave Hermione a little shove in the right direction. Hermione Collapsed into bed crawled under the covers. Her hysterical breathing slowed and Ella knew she had fallen asleep immediately. Ella slid underneath her own blankets, and sat up again, pulling them out from under the end of the mattress, other people always made the beds too tightly. She lay down again and rolled onto her side, wishing she had her stuffed monkey to sleep with.  
  
It was amazing really; she should have been the one having the breakdown, not Hermione! Ella almost laughed out loud. One day in the wizarding world, and she already felt like she belonged. Ella took one last look at the wand by her bed, and closed her eyes. The mirror was crooning softly to itself, and there was water dripping somewhere in the suite. One of the boys had probably left a tap running. ARGH! Ella remembered she had forgotten to brush her teeth. But she had no energy to get out of bed and do it. Ah well, she thought; I am in England!  
  
Ahhhh sorry for the little Brit joke there! I know it was a rather slow chapter. Bear with me for the next couple of months; it's time to start studying for regents at the end of June. My mum goes all Hermione on me and starts making me study about four months before the exams. NEXT CHAPTER: stay tuned for Professor Flitwick in swimming trunks, the return of one of my personal favorites: Oliver Wood! And the new DADA teacher: Marissa Fairburn. 


	6. Wand Work and Wood

Disclaimer: AHEM. I herby declare all that is not mine belongs to J.K. Rowling. As of now that's Ella, Marissa Fairburn, And Leila.  
  
A/N: Sorry this took so long. ^_^ Oh yeah, and sorry abut the run-on's.  
  
Ella was awaken roughly the next morning by someone banging through the door singing The Motion City Soundtrack's The Future Freaks Me Out at the top of her lungs, while throwing open the heavy pink curtains, then dancing across the room and out the door. This was by far the weirdest thing she had encountered yet. Talking Mirrors and all. Ella sat up groggily, only to see Hermione hanging halfway out of her bed, apparently shocked half to death by the intrusion.  
  
Ella could hear this strange woman accosting the boys across the hall so she decided to hide, er, get dressed in the closet. Just as Hermione was sitting up and recovering, and Ella was about to sneak into the closet, the woman came bounding back through the door, waving her wand excitedly. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and her hazel eyes glittered in the morning light. She wore a set of spring green robes that shimmered when she moved. The boys had followed her in, and Ella could see that they were quite in shock.  
  
"Marissa Fairburn." She swept a bow and stood back up again. "Breakfast anyone?" She looked around at the four stunned faces expectantly.  
  
Ten minutes later they all sat around the table in the common room munching toad in a hole and sausage. Marissa however had conjured herself what looked like a Grande Starbucks Mochachino, which Ella was considering stealing. This lady didn't need any more energy. Leila had come out and settled herself in Marissa's lap after a bowl of warm milk that had been on the floor.  
  
"Sho let me get thish schtraight." Ron spoke, his speech muffled by the large wad of toast and eggs in his mouth. He swallowed rather noisily and continued. "You're our new Defense professor?" Marissa nodded happily slurping on her coffee. "And Dumbledore hired you?- OUCH! HERM- OW! I GET THE POINT!" Hermione sat back in her chair, the picture of innocence while Ron rubbed his leg.  
  
"Yep. I'm actually a cousin of Remus Lupin's. You lot know him don't you?" Ron sprayed tea halfway across the table, and Harry choked on his milk.  
  
"Yes! (splutter) He's only the best (gag) Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" Harry continued to choke on his milk his face turning a funny purple color. Hermione coolly pointed her wand at him and chanted,  
  
"Purgo." Harry's coughing ceased and his face turned back to its normal color. He took a deep breath, embarrassed.  
  
"Thanks..." Marissa watched this with one eyebrow raised, clearly amused.  
  
"Everyone done eating then?" she looked around, checking plates making sure everyone had eaten a significant amount of food. "Good. You'll need your strength. Robes! On the double we're going out side!" She stood up and began to put the dishes on the tray in the middle of the table humming quietly to herself. She noticed everyone staring at her and stopped. "Sorry, weakness for American music. My dad's an American Wizard."  
  
"Ohhhhh!" Was the collective response. That explained the wake up call. The four teenagers left Professor Fairburn to her tidying and went to get dressed. Twenty minutes, two tussles over the bathroom, and one fight between Hermione and Ron later, they were assembled on the Quidditch pitch. They had to stop for another half an hour to explain Quidditch to Ella. It wouldn't have taken so long if it hadn't been for the boys, who deemed it necessary to provide the history, rules, and half the Gryffindor playbook as part of the explanation.  
  
It was a pleasant day. Ella had never been to England before, and found that it wasn't much different from America, concerning the countryside. She had nearly fainted at her first glimpse of the castle that was her new home. A warm breeze swished her robes and her long hair about. Sunlight kissed her face and sparkled off the lake that sprawled around Hogwarts. Professor Fairburn was going on about the use of non-defensive spells during a duel, and Ella hadn't the foggiest idea what she was talking about. She had managed to fully master the special kind of 'thinking about it' necessary for gaining information about the wizarding world and was putting it to use when her thought process was interrupted by Professor Fairburn's cheerful call,  
  
"All right then! Lets split into pairs, No not you and Hermione, Ron, lover's quarrels stay outside of lessons please. Oh don't blush at me it's quite obvious. Harry, you work with her. Ella and Ron over here." Before Ella could attest to the fact that she didn't know any spells, she was pushed in Ron's direction. "Wands ready? And one, two," Ella braced herself, and then suddenly remembered the incantation of a spell that had been used on her only yesterday. "three!"  
  
"PETRIFCUS TOTALUS!" Ron's wand had been raised, ready to hex Ella when her curse hit him square in the chest. His legs snapped together, his arms instantaneously glued to his sides and unable to retain his balance he toppled over stiff as a board. Then, to top it all of his mouth (which had been hanging open in an expression of surprise) clamped tightly shut.  
  
"Well done Ella! Thinking on your feet, and you thought you didn't know any spells!" Marissa Fairburn stood with her arms crossed; half smiling at Ella who was standing over the body locked Ron with an amazed expression on her face. Ella stopped gaping, and stepped on Ron's chest.  
  
"How do you like it when somebody hexes you off guard?" She smiled down at him, before offering him her hand, which he of course, couldn't take. Ella stood over him, perplexed, while his friends and their new professor had a good laugh.  
  
"Well what have we here?" A heavy Scottish accent interrupted her triumphant moment. A handsome young man on a broomstick was hovering just above their heads with an amused expression on his face. "I thought there was no fighting on school grounds... professor."  
  
"OLIVER!" The shout came from Harry, but it was Professor Fairburn who knocked him off his broom. She tackled him, pinning his shoulders to the ground. She whipped her wand out and held to his neck. Ella, Hermione, Harry, and the newly revived Ron watched dumbfounded.  
  
"MARISSA DON'T! IT'S ME! IT'S ME- OLIVER!" She peered into his eyes for a moment, and then scooped him into a bone crunching, Hagrid style hug. She pushed to arms length and began to scream at him.  
  
"-COULD HAVE BEEN DEAD...(intelligible screaming)- NOT A WORD FOR TWO MONTHS- WE ALL THOUGHT YOU HAD BEEN- BEEN- been..."Professor Fairburn began to cry, sobbing whole-heartedly into Oliver's shoulder. Harry leaned over and whispered into Ella's ear.  
  
"That's Oliver Wood, former Hogwarts Quidditch captain, Puddlemere Keeper, and order member. We lost contact with him for about a two months, we didn't know where he was." Harry appraised the situation unfolding before him with his arms crossed, he was clearly resisting the urge to rescue Oliver. Professor Fairburn was sobbing wordlessly, while Oliver held her close, obviously glad to be back. "I didn't know he had a girlfriend..." Harry stared at the two thoughtfully.  
  
Oliver was too absorbed in trying to comfort the soggy witch attached to his shoulder to notice McGonagall and Dumbledore sweeping across the grounds towards them. Ella and the others quickly got out of the way as McGonagall walked over to the heap of robes and people on the ground and separated the mess. In the meantime Dumbledore had conjured two chairs. As Professor McGonagall helped Oliver and Professor Fairburn to their feet, the two chairs merged together, and became a couch. Oliver collapsed onto it, gratefully pulling Professor Fairburn with him.  
  
She continued to cry and Oliver continued to hold her. It was then that Ella noticed there was a tremble to his hands. She took a step closer to him and squinted, he was pale too, and his skin looked clammy. Professor Fairburn sat up, drying her eyes with a handkerchief Dumbledore had conjured for her. McGonagall turned around to order the children to leave but Dumbledore stopped her.  
  
"Minerva, I believe Ella and Harry need to hear this, and young Master Potter will no doubt tell his friends everything after our conversation. We might as well let them all stay." Minerva bristled like a cat in protest. Dumbledore held up a hand to silence her and she quieted, clearly miffed. "Oliver, would you mind informing us of your whereabouts these past few months?" Dumbledore wore a concerned expression on his wrinkled face. " Oliver?" The ghostly man looked up from his girlfriend, staring at Dumbledore with his eyebrows crinkled together in an odd expression. It as if he was fighting with something inside his head pushing it away. His chapped lips silently formed the word 'deatheater' and Professor Fairburn burst into fresh sobs. Oliver looked at her with and expression of surprise, as if she had just apparated onto his shoulder. Ella took another step towards him. Squinting again; she could swear that his pupils were slightly clouded. Suddenly he closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them again, they were back to normal.  
  
"Oh Marissa! Hush, I'm all right now, see? No visible scars, burns, dark marks..." Professor Fairburn unexpectedly stood up. She grabbed Oliver's robes hauling him to his feet and spun him around, inspecting each of his limbs thoroughly.  
  
"If you're quite finished Professor, maybe we could continue with Oliver's explanation?" Professor Fairburn stood up and went to stand with the children observing the affair. She was hugging herself, rubbing her arms as if to keep warm, a shadow of the woman they had spent the morning with. She motioned for Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ella to come closer and drew them into a huddle.  
  
"Something's not right about him. Keep on your guard. We're going to go practice shield spells, just incase he's- "She began to tear up again, Ron and Harry each took a step backwards. Professor Fairburn took a deep breath, composing herself. "-under the Imperious curse. I'll have a chat with Dumbledore later tonight and let him know." She marched farther off onto the pitch giving the four of them no choice but to follow.  
  
They spent the rest of the afternoon practicing shield charms, first on each other, and after that Professor Fairburn sent hexes their way at random. The only problem was that Ella's shield charms seemed to be incredibly bouncy. They rebounded spells with such fierceness that the one who had tried to hex her could barley throw up their own shield in time. Shouts of "Protogeo" rang off the walls of the pitch for an hour at least until Professor Fairburn shouted.  
  
"STOP!" They all stared at her in awe of the new vigor she had taken towards educating them. She ducked one of Ella's rebounding Fernunculus's and began to pace back and forth in front of them. "What kind of curses are the hardest to block?" Hermione waved her hand wildly in the air. Professor Fairburn sighed, sensing the beginning of a pattern. "Hermione?"  
  
"The three unforgivable curses." Professor Fairburn nodded. She wheeled on Ron. "And what are they?" Ron gulped and scuffed his foot in the grass. He mumbled the answer.  
  
"The Cruciatus curse, the Imperious curse, and-"He paused, glancing at Harry. Harry shrugged, and Ron continued hesitantly. "-the killing curse." Harry looked up at the sky and muttered an incantation.  
  
"Avada Kedavra..." Professor Fairburn looked at him, realizing that she had quite possibly hit a sore spot. She softened immediately.  
  
"Very good Harry. Tonigh-"Harry was mumbling to himself. His eyes were clamped shut and his fists were balled so tight his knuckles were turning white. Professor Fairburn continued looking slightly perturbed. "Tonight I want you all to come up with a way to strengthen your shield spells. Sometimes in a duel you have to improvise. I want you all to be able to handle any curse thrown at you like a seasoned Auror. I don't care how you do it. Tomorrow you'd better be able to withstand an unforgivable." Professor Fairburn smiled. "Take the rest of the afternoon off, I'm going to go check on Oliver..." She bustled off in the direction of the castle leaving four exhausted teenagers on the Quidditch pitch.  
  
Ella collapsed onto the ground followed by Harry, then Ron and finally Hermione. They lay on the grass for quite some time silently watching the clouds meander across the windswept sky. It was Ella who finally spoke.  
  
"Wow." She knew that three eyebrows were being raised amid the mess of people on the ground. She continued. "I can't believe I've been missing out on this for 16 years." She was answered by silence. Their new professor's range of emotion flabbergasted them all. Hermione sat up.  
  
"Anyone thirsty?" She raised her wand. "Accio Pumpkin juice." The boys were leaning on their elbows staring expectantly at the castle and Hermione had her hand out as if she was waiting for something. Ella was confused. Suddenly there were four glasses of pumpkin juice speeding along the Quidditch pitch towards them. A summoning spell! Ella stood up, faced in what she thought was the right direction, and shouted,  
  
"ACCIO MONKEYBUNS!" She waited patiently, her hand out, as Hermione had done.  
  
"Er, what are you trying to summon?" Ron came to stand behind her peering at the horizon, waiting for something to appear.  
  
"My stuffed monkey." "From America?" Ella nodded still staring at the horizon, her hand held out. Ron came to stand in front of her snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Nobody could manage a summoning spell form that far away you dimwit! Why, Hermione's the best witch in our class, and she can't summon anything from farther away than Hogsmeade!" Ron began to laugh hysterically. Hermione started forwards to tell him off, and he stood up to get a few more words in. "I bet Dumbledore couldn't even- OOMPH!" There was a loud smack, and Ron was flat on his face, a sock monkey perched happily on his back. Ella scooped it up, tucked it under her arm and began to march towards the castle. As she strolled across her front lawn, she vaguely heard Ron say, in a very surprised voice.  
  
"Bloody Hell..."  
  
"RON!"  
  
A/N: OK. As much as I hate to admit this; I need a beta. Anybody interested? It's going to take longer for the chapters to post, but it's a necessity for quality. I'm comma happy. ^_^ SO. Any comments or suggestions are welcome, everybody check out EyesofEmerald's story Standing There By You cause it kicks pickle, and she's the only one who reviews me anymore! If you read it review it! PLEASE! 


	7. Midnight Encounters

A/N: WOW! Thanks so much to my new BETA: EyesOfEmerald! She's cool. Ummm that's it for now.

Ella lay awake through most of the night tossing and turning. Something about the look in Oliver Wood's eyes was bothering her. Dumbledore had come by to make sure the door to their wing was locked from the inside, so no one could get in. Professor Fairburn had been distant at dinner, sitting with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ella, but observing Oliver over her treacle pudding the whole time.   
  
Ella sat up in her bed, picked up her wand and muttered "_lumos_". Her wand tip flared with light, illuminating the whole room. Hermione rolled over in her sleep disturbed by the sudden change in the environment. Ella waved her hand at her wand, exasperated, willing the light to dim. It complied reluctantly, spluttering and threatening to go out until it settled on a muted glow. Ella pulled one of the spell books that were on her night table into her lap intending to read it and make herself sleepy. She knocked some of Hermione's notes onto the floor in the process.   
  
Bending over to pick them up she recalled the evening in the common room. They had been shooting stunning spells at each other, until their strengthened shields were able to withstand three at a time. Hermione had spent the better part of the evening with her Arithmancy book**,** writing out an addition to the original Protego Charm to make it stronger when the word "fortifus" was added to the end. Ron had been trying different wand movements all night until he found a sort of "wave and flick" that worked well. Harry had quickly discovered that saying the spell in parseltounge doubled its strength and had spent the rest of the evening thoughtfully attempting to stun his friends. Ella had joined him in this since, in her case, it seemed that simply yelling the spell made it much stronger.   
  
  
The door flew open and Harry rushed in, followed by a disheveled looking Ron. Harry was clutching the curious scar on his forehead, and gasping in pain. Ron spoke for him.   
  
"Harry's had another vision! It's Professor Fairburn; she's in the courtyard! HURRY!" Harry glanced at Ella, his green eyes gleaming with such intense urgency she found herself leaping out of bed and throwing her bathrobe over her shoulders. Ron was dragging Hermione out of bed and pulling her through the door. Harry was still clutching his scar. Ella grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him through the door ahead of her. They rushed through their common room and into the corridor. Four sets of footsteps echoed off of every surface as they careened through the passages. At one point Hermione waved her wand in the air sending red sparks in the opposite direction they were running. The quartet finally reached the courtyard and Harry gave a final gasp, letting go of his scar. Ella glanced at him, about to ask what was wrong when Ron waved a hand in their direction, silencing them.  
  
Professor Fairburn and Oliver Wood were in the courtyard standing about five feet apart, having a rather intense conversation. Their words were muddled and Ella cursed herself for not knowing a good spell for eavesdropping. As if reading her mind someone passed her something soft, squishy and flesh colored. The others were putting one end of the objects into their ears and letting the other fall to the ground. Ella followed suit.  
  
They acted a bit like silly putty, stretching out and crawling across the ground towards the two shadowy figures in the courtyard. Suddenly a voice sounded in Ella's ear. It was Professor Fairburn, speaking to Oliver. The fleshy strings were some kind of listening device.   
  
"Oliver are you SURE you're all right? You said they didn't use Cruciatus on you? That's so unlike the deatheaters. You look so pale! If I could just-" She reached up to touch his face, and he pushed her hand away roughly. Fairburn shrank back, hurt and even more suspicious. She clutched her hand as he spoke, looking at his face apprehensively.  
  
"Marissa, I told you I'm FINE. I'm suffering the effects of veritaserum overdose, that's all." Apparently he took note of her defensive stance and the hurt in her eyes, because he took a step towards her. She allowed him to envelop her in a hug. Ella felt Harry shift uncomfortably next to her. They stood for a moment holding each other awkwardly. The wind had blown some clouds in front of the moon, and for a moment it grew very dark. Oliver's face was expressionless. Professor Fairburn sighed disgustedly and shoved Oliver away.   
  
"No, you're not the same… something's wrong. I can tell." She stepped backwards and the four spying eyes could see her hand snaking around her back for her wand. She gripped it tightly and met Oliver's eyes. He was standing about ten feet away from her, looking confused. "I'm so sorry Oliver…" She whipped her wand out and shouted "DEPREHENSIA IMPERIO" Oliver's shocked look vanished and his eyes rolled back into his head. His limbs snapped together and green light began to scan his body. He started to foam at the mouth, shaking uncontrollably.   
  
"Bloody hell…" Ron was staring open mouthed at the scene unfolding before them. Hermione was shaking, and Harry was watching with a fierce look in his eyes. Professor Fairburn had fallen to her knees, sobbing with her head in her hands. Oliver lay unconscious on the ground, his eyes closed. Professor Fairburn had rushed to his side and was kneeling over him, uncertain what to do.   
  
There was a brief moment of peace. All six of the people in the courtyard were silent. The wind had stopped blowing, and the moon came out from behind a cloud. Then Oliver sat up. Professor Fairburn had her back to him, oblivious. Even from a distance Ella recognized the glazed look that had come over him. Hermione did too, because she screamed a warning to Fairburn.  
  
"PROFESSOR! LOOK OUT, BEHIND YOU!" Oliver was standing over Professor Fairburn with her wand in his hand. She looked up at him, surprised, and began to walk backwards slowly.  
  
"Oliver it's ME! Marissa! You're under the imperious curse." He began walking towards her haltingly. "Oliver listen to me, you're under the imperious curse. Listen to me!" Desperate, The professor began to scream, stumbling over the loose stones in the courtyard floor. "FIGHT IT! FIGHT IT OLIVER FIGHT IT!" She fell to the ground and was crawling backwards, fear radiating from her hazel eyes. "IT'S ME, YOU DON'T WANT TO HURT ME OLIVER! OLIVER! OLIVER!" He raised her wand slowly and difficultly. He was fighting it, but to no avail.   
  
"_Averte Statura_." Marissa Fairburn ducked and rolled out of the way. A jet of orange light shot past her, connecting with a statue in the corner and blowing it up. Harry grabbed Ella and pulled her down as shards of rock flew by them. Hermione was standing transfixed by the fight. A piece of rock was hurtling towards her. Ron dived at her, knocking her to the ground. They hit the stone path with a sickening thud, the rock rolling clattering away loudly.  
  
"Averte Statura." This time Fairburn didn't duck fast enough. The spell hit her in the shoulder, a bloody wound appearing instantaneously. She shot into the air like a rocket, up above the roof and then back down again. Ella came to herself and stood up. She pointed her wand at Oliver who was standing very still, as if he was un-aware of the havoc he was causing.   
  
"STUPEFY!" He fell to the ground as soon as the spell hit him. In the meantime Harry had managed to catch professor Fairburn with a levitation charm, and was lowering her to the ground. Hermione rushed over to Oliver, cords bursting from her wand and tying him up. There was a clattering of shoes on stone and all four teenagers jumped into their defensive stances, wands at the ready. Dumbledore rushed into the courtyard, followed by a breathless McGonagall.   
  
"We saw Ms. Granger's sparks, what's the matt-" He paused surveying the scene before him. Harry was trying to revive Fairburn, while Hermione and Ella were standing over Oliver with their wands pointed at his head. Ron was sitting on a stone bench dazedly, blood trickling down his face. McGonagall gasped and clapped her hand to her mouth, speechless. Dumbledore summed up the sight with 6 simple words. "Oh my. This is _not_ good.  
  
  


Twenty minutes later they were all in the hospital wing sipping pepper up potion. Ron and Marissa Fairburn were tucked into beds, bandaged and revived. Oliver however, was sleeping soundly, recovering from the imperious curse that had been lifted by Dumbledore.   
  
"I dare say you handled the situation very well." Dumbledore was staring at all of them sternly. "However." He paused. " Marissa, next time you suspect someone is under the imperious curse, come to me before you do the detection spell." Professor Fairburn nodded slowly, staring at her steaming mug of potion.   
  
Ella was observing Harry curiously out of the corner of her eye. Something had changed dramatically in him. He seemed to be brooding, and the tension surrounding him was coiled like a spring. He was gripping his mug so tightly that his knuckles were white.   
  
"Sirius… Sirius… can you hear me? Dumble… Dumble…dore…" The crowd in the hospital wing turned in unison. Oliver was talking in his sleep. He had begun to toss and turn fervently, clutching the blankets to him. Dumbledore rushed to his bedside and held up a hand to keep the others at bay.  
  
"Do not wake him up." Dumbledore knelt next to Oliver and put his hand on his forehead. "Just as I thought. He's running a-" A bottle of skelegrow exploded, sending ceramic shrapnel everywhere. "A fever." Dumbledore glanced at Harry sympathetically. "Harry, Ella, why don't you go back to your quarters. I expect Ms. Granger will want to spend the night here." Harry stood up, his hands balled into fists.   
  
"I'm staying." Dumbledore shook his head.   
  
"Harry, I'm going to have to insist that you leave." Harry's eyes glinted dangerously.  
  
"He was talking about Sirius."   
  
"I realize that." Harry was obviously trying very hard to control himself.  
  
"What if he says something else? What if… if…" Harry trailed off, the look in his eyes faded to something different. He unclenched his fists and looked at Oliver. Dumbledore left Oliver's bedside and came to stand in front of Harry demurely.   
  
"He's dead, Harry." Dumbledore was speaking very softly, almost inaudibly. "Death is the one thing magic can't reverse." Harry spun away from him, as if Dumbledore had just spat in his face. He walked quickly out of the hospital wing, leaving the door swinging behind him. Dumbledore nodded at Ella. "I think someone should go after him." Ella took this as a hint and ran.   
  
It was amazing how much ground Harry could cover at a walk. Ella just saw his robes flutter around a corner. She began to run again, as quietly as possible following Harry around corner after corner in the castle, giving him time to cool off before she approached him. Finally after about ten minutes he ended up in the trophy room. Ella stood in the doorway as he walked up to a mahogany case at the end of the room. He slumped in front of it with his head in his hands. Ella advanced on him shuffling loudly, giving him warning that she was coming. He didn't move. She sat down next to him. He was staring at the trophies in the case contemplating something. Without looking at Ella he addressed her.  
  
"My mum and my dad." He touched the trophy on the top shelf. "My Godfather." He pointed to another trophy. " And now my friends." He motioned to a shelf that contained services to the school awards. Harry let his hands fall into his lap. "How many people is he going to kill, or hurt before this is over? How many times will I have to fight him before one of us dies? He's already tried to kill me six times. I can't do this much longer." Ella turned to face him.   
  
"I don't know." He looked at her, as if he hadn't been expecting her to answer. " But I do know this. Every time before, I'm guessing you faced Lord Voldemort alone, or more or less alone." Harry nodded. " This time, there's going to be two people he has to fight." Ella pointed at Harry. "You" She pointed at her self. "And me." Harry shook his head.   
  
"I'm just endangering your life, like I've done with so many others before." He put his hand on the ground to push himself up and Ella grabbed it. His palms were dry and cold.   
  
"No. I was born for this. So were you. It's _our destiny_,_ our purpose_. As much as you hate it, and as much as I'm beginning to dread it, we have to do this. We don't have a choice. Think about it. If you hadn't fought Voldemort all those times." She silently thanked Hermione for the knowledge charm. "How many more people would have died? How many more kids would be without parents? How many more people would lose hope and become deatheaters?" Harry was listening intently now, her words were reassuring him. "I believe in you Harry. Hermione believes in you, and so do Ron and Dumbledore. What more do you need than the support of the people who care about you?"   
  
They stared at each other for a moment, and then Harry did something strange. He hugged Ella. Not just a quick squeeze, a bone-crushing, lung-collapsing death grip. Ella decided that the best plan of action would be to hug him back, so she did so, with a little less force. He loosened his grip on her, not letting her go completely, lingering on her speech.   
  
It had begun to rain outside, and there was water flying in through the open window. It was beginning to collect in little puddles on the floor, and her hair was quickly becoming soaked. The cold water shocked Harry back to is senses and he stood up quickly, pulling out his wand and yelling, "FENETRE". The windows in the trophy room snapped shut, ending their shower. He held out his hand for Ella and she took it letting him pull her up.   
  
  
Strangely enough, Ella found that she didn't mind at all when Harry neglected to release her hand as they walked back to their wing. 

A/N: FINALLY! Sorry that took so long, I've been busy, and right now I'm neglecting my model UN project to finish this chapter. I don't have many thank you's to issue, just one to Aerandir, for reviewing me I think, six times? NO IT'S NOT A BAD THING THAT YOU REVIEW SO MUCH! IT'S AN AMAZING MARVEL OF HUMANITY. And to Magical Muggle, I'm always glad to see a new reviewer! Keep reading! Err, yeah. Thanks. Like I said before, EyesofEmerald is my hero.

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	8. Broom Shopping and Eatery Hopping

A/N: Phew! I had to drag this one out kicking and screaming! Enjoy!  
  
Ohh wait.  
  
Disclaimer: Blahblahblah not mine.  
  
And per usual: Thanks to my beta!  
  
Ella entered the hospital wing quietly, a bouquet of summer lilacs clutched in her hand. The smell was comforting; there was a lilac bush in her adoptive parent's yard in America. The hospital wing was lit up by golden sunlight streaming in through the many window and slits in the walls. All the beds were starched; the blankets tucked in so tight they seemed to be suffocating the mattresses. The curtains around all of the abandoned beds were pushed back neatly, dust particles floating off of them and lazily hanging in mid air.  
  
All the curtains but one.  
  
A bed all the way at the end of the hospital wing was shielded by the cream colored hangings. The space inside the little tent was dimly lit and sickness seemed to emanate from it. Professor Fairburn still hadn't fully recovered from her accident.  
  
It was odd; Oliver was in good health, back on his broom three days after the incident bearing only mental and emotional scars. Ron's cracked skull had been healed fully and he was out of the hospital wing the next day. But Professor Fairburn's wound would not heal. She had developed a Wizard's fever. It was a very dangerous thing caused by a dark curse, especially in powerful witches and wizards. A few doses of antibiotics and some rest could cure Muggle fevers, but a Wizard's fever was caused when the infected person's magic slowly spiraled out of control, wreaking havoc inside their body.  
  
Ella approached the curtained cot carefully, and pushed aside the hanging. Marissa Fairburn lay buried underneath several thick blankets. Her forehead was glistening with feverish perspiration and her eyes were shut. She was limp, one arm thrown feebly over her head, the other grasping at a handful of quilt. Her shoulder length blonde hair was damp and matted.  
  
What the crap is Madame Pomfrey doing? Ella wondered to herself. She set her flowers on the night table, exchanging them for a damp cloth that was resting there. She wrung the extra water out of it and began to mop at the professor's tortured face.  
  
Fairburn's eyes flew open and she gave a raspy gasp as the cold water touched her cheek. Ella started back, and tripped over something, or rather someone, lying on the floor. Oliver Wood started up, his Auror training kicking in automatically. He pointed his wand at Ella and she threw her hands up in the air, still clutching the wet cloth.  
  
"What the Hell do you think your- oh! Ella!" he lowered his wand and sank into the chair at Professor Fairburn's bedside. "I must have fallen asleep, I'm terribly sorry."  
  
There was a muted groan from the bed between them. They both glanced down and saw Professor Fairburn's eyes had squeezed shut again, likely in pain this time. Ella felt terrible for waking her up. Oliver immediately bent over her fussing like a mother hen.  
  
"Hush, darling, you'll be all right." He pulled down the sheets a little and she shivered slightly. "I just want to check on your dressing." He gingerly pulled away the sleeves of her hospital pajamas revealing a blood soaked mess of bandages. "Oh god, the bleeding hasn't stopped." He put a hand to her forehead. "And you're burning up." She closed her eyes, relishing in the feel of his cool hand on her cheek. "I'm going to find that old bat Pomfrey and give her a piece of my mind. You should be in St. Mungo's, not in a hospital wing with a half-wit nurse. Ella, stay with her will you?" Ella nodded her reply and went back to mopping the sweat from her professor's forehead.  
  
Marissa closed her eyes again, too weak to protest a student washing her face, and too weak to i/ protest going to St. Mungo's. Ella heard brief snatches of a shouting match going on in Madame Pomfrey's office. Apparently Oliver wasn't willing to accept the fact that the only thing you could do for a wizard's fever was give it time. It either cured itself, or not at all. None of them were ready to accept the latter possibility. The thought made her sick.  
  
Ella pondered for a moment and decided that her guilt was nothing compared to Oliver's. He was the one who had done this to her. He had uttered a curse, although not intentionally that had caused his girlfriend to come down with an almost incurable disease. No wonder he had been here night and day once he found out Professor Fairburn was this ill.  
  
Ella closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again. The room was swimming around her and she swallowed hard, feeling nauseous. Waving a hand in Professor Fairburn's direction, she stood up abruptly, bidding her goodbye. She would be fine by herself for a few minutes. Ella swept through the dim halls of Hogwarts with a strange feeling coming over her. She had no idea where she was going, only that she knew she had to get away from that sickness, from the disease that had debilitated a woman who could have been a great teacher, and a great friend. All Ella could do was hope that she would get better.  
  
She rounded a corner running full speed, totally unaware of her surroundings, and suddenly found herself lying on the ground with a bang. She sat up, her vision blurry from her head hitting the floor. She reached out her hand and her fingers met something cold and metallic. A pair of glasses.  
  
"Are you all right?" Harry's voice sounded shaky, but he seemed to have recovered from his fall. "You just came barreling around the corner," he paused for a moment, collecting his glasses and pushing them back up his nose. He shook his messy black hair and stood up, offering Ella his hand. Ella hesitated a moment, remembering the way he had been so reluctant to let go a few nights before. He stood looking down at her expectantly and she took it, allowing him to pull her up. She detached herself in a hurry, dusted off and began to stroll down the hallway with Harry.  
  
"Sorry, I was just at the hospital wing, I-"Harry turned to look at her, his forehead creased worriedly.  
  
"Why?! Are you all right? What's happened? Is it professor Fairburn?" Harry clenched his right hand into a fist. "Oh no, she hasn't..."  
  
"No." Ella replied matter of factly. "But Harry," The edge in her voice melted. "It doesn't look good." Harry's face fell.  
  
"There you have it," He spat his words out angrily. "Another triumph for Voldemort." His green eyes glinted furiously; Ella almost took a step backwards.  
  
"Don't say that! He's not going to win i/ battle. She'll be fine, you'll see." Ella smiled a little and touched his shoulder. "You should see Oliver in there playing nurse, though. It's really quite... cute. For lack of a better word." Harry gave Ella a halfhearted grin and averted his gaze to the stone floor scuffing the toes of his sneakers sullenly. Suddenly she thought of something that would cheer him up.  
  
"It's a beautiful day out you know," he acknowledged her with a grunt. "I've been in the wizarding world for almost a week, and I haven't been up on a broom yet..." Harry brightened immediately and grinned madly. His eyes lit up mischievously. He grabbed her by the hand and began running towards the entrance hall.  
  
Before she registered what was happening the wind was rushing by her blowing out the band that was holding Ella's hair in place. Her chestnut locks blew wildly behind her as Harry dragged her out onto the grounds of Hogwarts. Ella laughed, feeling the stress of the last few days melt away in the bright afternoon sunshine. Harry finally stopped running and Ella banged into him again. They fell to the ground in a giggling heap, Harry's genuine laughter ringing out into the summer air. He sat up pulling Ella with him, grabbing both of her hands and standing to face her.  
  
Ella began to pull away from him and changed her mind. She took a step closer.  
  
"Where are we going?" She whispered. Harry's smile widened.  
  
"Diagon Alley." He whispered back. Suddenly there was a feeling like someone had stuck a hook behind her belly button. She gasped in surprise as the world rushed passed her. Ella closed her eyes tightly and squeezed Harry's hand harder than she probably should have. And then it stopped. Ella cautiously opened her eyes.  
  
They were standing in Diagon Alley. It was the same time of day it had been at Hogwarts, only the streets were wet here, as if it had just rained. She was still standing very still, squeezing the life out of Harry's hands. She let go abruptly and smacked Harry playfully.  
  
"Thanks for the warning, i/." She said sarcastically. This only caused Harry to look even more pleased with himself. "What the heck was that?"  
  
"A Portkey." Harry smiled and began shaking the blood back into his hands, strolling along the damp streets.  
  
"Why are we in Diagon Alley?" Ella hurried to catch up with him.  
  
"Well, if you're going to go flying, you'll need a broom, won't you?" Ella stopped in her tracks.  
  
"A broom!? For ME?" Harry did an about face, and walked behind her, propelling her along the misty streets.  
  
"What did you suppose I was going to do? Let you ride my Firebolt? No beginners on that, thank you, you'd kill yourself." They had reached a friendly looking shop. There was no sign hanging above the door, and several little wizard boys were crowded in front of the windows blocking the display. Harry opened the door of the shop for Ella with a sweep of his arm and she entered, curtsying derisively in his direction.  
  
She finished her display of lady like behavior and finally noticed her surroundings. The shop was large and roughly hewn from wooden planks. Various Quidditch banners hung from the walls and ceiling, and a few snitches fluttered around slowly and aimlessly. One wall was lined with Quidditch gear, specifically balls. There were different kinds of bludgers strapped into little nooks, and little golden snitches flurrying about in glass boxes. Quaffles sat on individual shelves. A nice selection of beaters bats were tacked next to them.  
  
The next wall over had Quidditch robes. There were practice robes, keeper robes, beater robes, chaser robes, and seeker robes. Padding and gloves were hanging from the lines across the ceiling there, Witches and Wizards were levitating them down to try them on. A sign proclaimed, "For house Quidditch robes, see desk." Ella saw the desk, another roughly hewn wooden structure draped with banners. From this wall to the other there were brooms. Brooms, brooms, and more brooms!  
  
"Welcome," He paused dramatically. "To Quality Quidditch supplies!"  
  
About two hours later, they had narrowed it down to two brooms; The Cleansweep 470, and the Nimbus 2004. Harry was gazing affectionately at a model of the Nimbus 2000. Ella wanted to ask his opinion on the brooms she had chosen. She called him over.  
  
"Hey Harry, what do you think?" Harry remained enthralled by the Nimbus 2000. Ella picked the Cleansweep off the wall rack and poked him with it. He whirled around snapping out of his reverie, eyes wide. Ella strode over to see what the big deal was. The broom in the case looked like a fairly regular broom. It was nice, sure but nothing special. "Is that your girlfriend?" Ella raised an eyebrow at him. Harry's ears turned red and he grinned nostalgically.  
  
"No, my first love. That was my very first broom, the year I came to Hogwarts. It got totaled during a match... She sure was a great broom..." He trailed off, staring affectionately at it. Ella sighed and wandered back to the wall rack. She replaced the Cleansweep with the Nimbus 2004 and walked up to the counter to pay. She had liked it better anyways.  
  
They left the shop with their purchases, Harry having bought some new twig clippers for his broom servicing kit. Ella couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts and try it out. But boys being boys, Harry decided that it was high time for a snack, and they wandered for a bit looking for someplace to eat. The conversation went something like this:  
  
"The Snapping Dragon?"  
  
"Looks a little Slytherin oriented to me... How about the leaky cauldron?"  
  
"Harry, it's on the other side of town."  
  
"Oh. Jolly good point. The Grinning Ogre?."  
  
"Are you kidding me? How about The Skipping Centaur?"  
  
"Believe me, Centaur's don't skip."  
  
"Argh look at that place, it's disgusting!"  
  
Ella was pointing out a teashop not unlike Madame Paddifoot's in Hogsmeade. Her upper lip was curled into an expression of pure disgust at the decor of the little place. Flowers were everywhere, enchanted to hang from the signs and windows and plant themselves in the coat pockets and hair of every person who walked by. Ella covered her head and bolted past the window swatting at flowers that tried to stick themselves in her long brown hair.  
  
"You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that." Harry stood transfixed by her. When the flowers started trying to poke her in the eyes he ran to her aid, grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her across the street.  
  
"It think you made them mad." Harry grinned at her. Ella glared back at him. Several Lilies had implanted themselves in her hair. Harry plucked them out one by one while Ella stared back at the little teashop, apparently trying to set fire to it with her eyes. If Harry hadn't presented her with a bouquet she may very well have succeeded. "My mother's name was Lily."  
  
Ella accepted the flowers gratefully until one of them bit her on the finger. This was going too far. Ella dropped the flowers and they scuttled across the cobblestones only to be run over by a cart. Harry doubled over with laughter, and Ella marched off in the opposite direction thoroughly peeved.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Harry ran to catch up with her. "It's just..." She stopped and spun around, facing him with her eyes narrowed to tiny slits. Harry's eyes were still twinkling impishly. His ears turned red and he scuffed the ground like he always did when he was embarrassed. "I had this, err... Girlfriend? I suppose you could call her that, anyways... She's a year ahead of me in Ravenclaw, and on our first date she wanted to go into this horrible teashop that was exactly like that one over there." Harry smiled genuinely at her, motioning towards the flowery hellhole. "And I've never met a girl yet who thinks that those sappy little places aren't romantic." Ella tried her best not to turn red.  
  
"I find them repulsive." Harry smiled broadly again. Ella got the feeling that he hadn't done this much smiling in a while.  
  
"I know! Florean Fortescue's! The best sundaes you could hope... what? What's wrong with ice cream? Everyone likes ice cream!" Harry yelled exasperated as Ella's face fell. She looked at him sheepishly.  
  
"Lactose intolerant." Harry burst out laughing again, this time so hard he almost fell over. Ella grabbed him by the shoulders holding him up. A few witches and wizards glared at them. Ella couldn't help but smile. Harry straightened up breathing hard, at a loss for words. Ella looked him in the eyes and retorted:  
  
"You think living a life deprived of dairy products is funny?" This caused Harry to start laughing all over again. By the time they had recovered, it was about seven o' clock. They decided to head back to the leaky cauldron after all. So they picked up their purchases and headed off after a brief struggle over who got to carry Ella's nimbus. Harry won.  
  
The streets were growing dark, and surprisingly vacant of street lamps. Harry warned Ella to be on her guard, as it was not the norm for Diagon alley to be this gloomy at 7 in the evening. They walked close together wands out and lit. Passing witches and wizards nodded at them in greeting, their faces illuminated by lumos light, packages tucked under their arms. It rained briefly as they trekked wordlessly across the dark city. After about half an hours walk Harry extinguished his wand. Dark figures glided by silently. Ella knew they were just shoppers headed to the floo hub, but the faceless shapes made her skin crawl. She had a bad feeling.  
  
"Look, there's the Leaky Cauldron!" Harry picked up his pace, walking a few meters ahead of her toward the friendly pool of light coming from the pub. Ella sighed in relief.  
  
"Nox." Her wand light went out. She took a step forwards...  
  
...and that was as far as she got. Before she could set foot into the safety of the light, a hand clamped over her mouth, and a wand pressed into her neck. Ella suddenly found her arms clamped to her sides. She lifted her leg up and delivered a sharp kick to a very sensitive area. The hand releasing her and the groan escaping her attacker was proof enough that he was male. Ella ran.  
  
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" Ella turned as the spell hit her in the back and she saw her attacker's face before she hit the ground. Petrified and immobile she stared up at the shaggy man standing over her. His robes were a tattered mess and he was dirty. Very dirty. He had longish, unkempt hair that hung into his eyes. But his eyes were what got Ella. They were pure black, bottomless pits of darkness. He kneeled next to her, and if Ella could have stiffened anymore, she would have. The grungy man reached out and touched her face, and to her surprise, muttered;  
  
"I'm sorry, Ella, you'll understand later." He pulled out a tattered wand that looked like it had been through a war, and pointed it at her head. "Stupefy."  
  
The last thing Ella saw was a jet of red light, and she seemed to be sinking into the man's eyes, sinking into the darkness.  
  
A/N:Thanks to my new reviewers, Magical Muggle, who writes awesome reviews, and Rachel! Thanks to everybody else as well! 


	9. Returns and Remembrances

A/N: Well that took long enough. I'm so sorry everyone! I've been really busy, and I had to work on this in bits and pieces. I couldn't just sit down and do it in one shot like I usually do. Thanks for the reviews, but come on, if you read it review it, LETS HIT FIFTY! WE CAN DO IT! Criticism is really very helpful; so don't be afraid to completely bash this story. Go for it. Thank you for being vicious beta !  
  
Harry reached the door of the Leaky Cauldron in a hurry. The grim atmosphere of Diagon Alley was giving him an uneasy feeling. He ran up the steps and opened the door for Ella.  
  
She didn't walk through.  
  
Harry squinted across the street, expecting to see her splashing through the gutter towards him, but she was nowhere in sight. He let the door slip from his fingers and it swung shut quietly. He crept down the stairs, his wand out, looking around him in every direction.  
  
Nothing.  
  
He started to panic. She'd been right beside him on the other side of the street! The leaky cauldron was hard to miss, she couldn't have gone far. He walked briskly down the sidewalk in the opposite direction they had come from. Maybe she had gone the wrong way or seen something interesting or-  
  
Her wand lay abandoned on the sidewalk in front of him, rolling back and forth as if it had just been dropped. She wouldn't just leave her wand there on the ground, and Harry knew it. There must have been a struggle, but how had Harry missed it? She was just across the street!  
  
Harry briefly considered going for Dumbledore, and then decided against it. Dumbledore would enlist the help of McGonagall, and she would draw a crowd. Hermione and Ron were better off at Hogwarts, he could use Hermione's brains, and Ron's support but he didn't want to endanger them. He'd nearly gotten them killed enough times this year. Hermione...  
  
That was it! Hermione had taught him a spell at the end of the summer, that would take a person to the location of another by way of a their wand, sort of a homing device. Harry stooped and picked up the rosewood wand on the ground. He screwed up his eyes in concentration.  
  
"_Deporto Arbitri_" Nothing happened. He cautiously opened his eyes, and took a step back, startled to find himself standing at the entrance to a cave. The very same cave Sirius had lived in during their fourth year. Harry's nostrils twitched, as he smelled something on the air. Flattening himself against a rock he sniffed the air cautiously. Smoke, and.... sausages? Harry crept forwards slowly, keeping his back to the damp wall. He gripped his wand tighter as he entered the mouth of the cave. Stepping over the familiar rocks and jagged spots he followed the cave wall towards a glowing light.  
  
Harry heard the sound of food sizzling over a campfire, but there were no voices. Harry braced himself, they were just around the corner, and he could feel it. Various curses flying through his brain he selected one, the full body bind curse. Both his and Ella's wands in his hand he leapt from behind the corner, ready to fight.  
  
Ella dropped her mug of tea in her lap.  
  
Harry had just leapt from behind a rock, his eyes glinting like mad, looking ready to kill. He threw her wand at her. She was so taken aback she couldn't help herself. She screamed.  
  
The large black dog in the corner woke from it's slumber, growling fiercely. Harry threw his arm back, a spell on his lips- then he saw the dog. He dropped his wand all together, and his hand began to open and close as if he were reaching for something to hold on too. Harry narrowed his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he was witnessing. He staggered a bit, and the black dog lumbered over to him. Ella blinked, and there was a shaggy, disheveled man supporting Harry.  
  
"Sirius?!" Harry pushed away from his godfather. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!!!" Sirius opened his mouth to speak and Harry walked up to him suspiciously. He suddenly remembered that he was wandless, and fell to his knees, grappling for his wand on the cold stone floor.  
  
"Harry, let me explain." Harry stood up with his wand in his hand and walked over to Sirius looking very distrustful indeed. "How do I know you're not a death eater under the polyjuice potion? How do I know you're not a shape shifter? " Ella's thoughts shifted suddenly to the text book she had been devouring earlier. She stood up and pointed her wand directly at Sirius.

_ "Declaro."_ A jet of blue light shot out of her wand and scanned his body. Sirius started as if he had just stuck a penny in an electrical outlet. Ella nodded, satisfied. "It's him Harry." Harry thought for a moment and Sirius waited patiently for his godson to react. Suddenly Harry reached up and poked him in the eye. Ella snorted. Sirius started back and yelled. "OWWWWWWW! WHAT THE $#$ BLOODY HELL WAS ($#&% THAT FOR?"  
  
Harry stared at Sirius in disbelieving awe. Suddenly he threw his arms around him and engulfed him in a hug (Only Sirius can swear like that).This time it was Sirius's turn to stagger; he stumbled backwards, and caught himself before falling. But still Harry held on. It took him a good twenty minutes to recover from the shock of seeing his supposedly dead god- father. When they were all seated around the campfire munching on sausages and drinking tea from tin mugs Sirius began an explanation.  
  
"I've been at the ministry, trapped in the department of mysteries for I don't know how long. Ella here has informed me that it's late July. I'd lost track of things." Harry looked confused.  
  
"If you've been at the ministry this whole time, why didn't anybody tell us?" A dark look passed over Sirius's already gloomy face. Ella sipped her tea quietly, listening intently to the conversation.  
  
"Harry, the ministry isn't what it used to be. It's corrupt." Harry scoffed.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know." Harry was looking a bit worried now. Sirius shook his head.  
  
"No Harry. I mean _corrupt_. They're collaborating with the dark lord." Harry's jaw dropped.  
  
"B-b-but... Fudge- Well he,- I never expected..." Sirius stood up looking troubled.  
  
"The dementors, Harry. His willingness to disregard the return of the dark lord. His control over the Daily Prophet. Trying to get YOU expelled form Hogwarts. Constantly attempting to remove Dumbledore. He's a weak man, Harry, weak and impressionable."  
  
"Well, all that's because... because..." Harry trailed off as the pieces slowly came together in his head. "Why? What do they want?" Sirius nodded grimly in Ella's direction.  
  
"They want her." Ella dropped her now empty teacup in her lap again.  
  
"Me?" She squeaked. Sirius nodded. Ella thought for a moment before asking for a reason. "Because I'm Dumbledore's daughter, right?" Sirius sat down across the fire from her and took a deep breath, preparing himself to say something momentous.  
  
"Rowena Ravenclaw was in charge of much of the enchantments that guard Hogwarts today. She was a brilliant witch, always looking to discover new spells, new potions, new ways to protect and enhance things." Sirius looked into the depths of the fire, as if looking for words to express what he was trying to say.  
  
"One day, she came across something wonderful. A discovery that could have changed the world as she knew it. She created a spell that could rid the world of dark wizards, wipe every single one of them of their power." Sirius stared even more intently into the fire, and the flames began to leap and dance, casting eerie shadows across the cave walls, logs snapping and popping in the miniature inferno.  
  
"Like a said before, she was a genius. Gryffindor had the bravery and the glory, Hufflepuff the dedication and kindness, and Slytherin the cunning and determination. But Ravenclaw had the brains, and the common sense. She saw the flaws in the spell, but unfortunately, it was Slytherin who discovered the largest one. The spell could be turned around to unleash the power of the evil wizards, magnifying it and causing it to double."  
  
Harry and Ella were listening with such intensity that no one noticed the fire beginning to die. Sirius continued.  
  
"Ravenclaw knew she couldn't let anyone get their hands on this spell. But first she modified it. She made it so that it would only destroy one dark wizard. The most powerful of them all."  
  
"Voldemort," Harry whispered. Sirius nodded and began pacing.  
  
"The modification of the spell nearly cost her life. She was on her deathbed when she revealed the secret of the spell to Godric Gryffindor. During Voldemort's time, two children would be born. One, the one Voldemort would mark as his equal."  
  
Harry touched his scar distractedly.  
  
"The other would be the key. This child would be the only one who can unlock the spell hidden here, in Hogwarts. The child would bear the mark of a true Ravenclaw descendant- Blue eyes. Also, she had to be a female. But Rowena Ravenclaw had a son. He produced only sons, and his sons produced only sons. This went on until now, Albus Dumbledore is a son of Ravenclaw as was his grand father, and all his ancestors. You are the first girl. You're the heir of Ravenclaw." Ella blinked at him. Sirius was staring at her quite sincerely. It all made sense, in a rather twisted way, Ella supposed. There was only one problem she could think of.  
  
"But I have green eyes..." Sirius smiled a haunting smile, great suffering lurking at the corners of his mouth. He raised his wand and pointed it straight at Ella's forehead, and cried,  
  
"_Liveo Transformis_!" Ella's eyes burned momentarily and she covered them with her hands, gasping in pain. Harry rushed over to her and put his arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Sirius what did you do!?" Ella pulled her hands away from her face slowly. Sirius smiled triumphantly and motioned at Ella's eyes. Harry turned his head slowly and met Ella's eyes.  
  
They had been transformed to a sparkling blue, not unlike Dumbeldore's. Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out a mirror handing it to Ella. She saw the transformation for the first time herself. She gasped and the mirror slipped from her fingers onto the floor. It didn't break.  
  
"Dumbledore changed your eye color the minute you were born. He made it to match your mother's so no one would ask questions. It was for your protection." Harry slipped his arm from Ella's shoulder.  
  
"But how do you know all this?" Sirius smiled grimly again.  
  
"All that time in the department of mysteries, Harry. You'd think I'd pick a few things up." The look in Sirius's eyes clearly showed that he didn't want to go further into the subject.  
  
Harry suddenly leapt up and threw his arms around Sirius again. Ella was strongly reminded of a small child hugging a parent returned home from a long trip.  
  
"I thought I'd lost you." Harry whispered. Sirius hugged Harry tight, ruffling his hair. Ella decided to give them a moment's peace, and went outside the cave quietly tip toeing so they wouldn't notice her leave. It was dark out, and the stars were shining. She glanced down at her watch and found that it was only nine thirty. They should be getting back up to the castle, the others might worry soon. Ella stood for a moment and stared up at the sky, absorbing the information she had just received.  
  
_'I'm a key. A KEY. I'm the only way we can get to this spell and use it against Voldemort. It's the only way he can be destroyed.'_ Thoughts of the danger that faced her began to push against the barrier she had built up in her mind. She pushed them away and thought about Harry instead. What an awesome friend he'd turned out to be. Ella smiled as she thought of Ron and Hermione. Harry missed them, She could tell. They hadn't been around much these past few days. They were going back to the burrow to visit the Weasleys the next morning. Harry would want to say good-bye, yet she hated to break up the reunion inside the cave.  
  
Harry settled the matter. He came out of the cave a few minutes later, looking calm and composed. He held Ella's broomstick out to her, and then pulled it back. A flicker of a smile crossed his face.  
  
"Want to fly back?" Harry whispered. Ella grinned and replied,  
  
"Of course!" Harry and she pulled the brown paper from the broomstick and stood for a moment admiring the shiny mahogany handle. Harry let it roll out of the package and onto the ground.  
  
"Stand next to it, and hold out your hand." Ella did, feeling slightly foolish. "Now say UP. With conviction!" Ella straightened her back and half shouted.  
  
"UP!" The broomstick leapt into her hand. She closed her fingers around it, feeling the smooth wooden handle in her palm.  
  
"Oh, wait a second," Harry fumbled for his wand, and pulled it out. He waved it in the direction of the castle. "_Accio Firebolt_!" Harry showed her how to grip her broom properly, while they were waiting. A minute or two later Harry's Firebolt shot into view, nearly knocking him over. He mounted his broom and stood next to Ella, demonstrating the proper way to place ones feet on the stirrup like apparatus.  
  
"On the count of three, kick off and fly up a meter or so. We'll go from there." Ella nodded and gripped her broom handle tightly.  
  
"One-"She bent her knees.  
  
"Two-"She leaned forward the slightest bit.  
  
"Three!" She kicked off. There was a great rush of air around her and her toes dangled about two meters above the ground. She slipped her feet onto the footholds, and waited for Harry's instructions. He guided his broomstick easily in front of her, nodding his head in approval.  
  
"Yes, your posture is good, check your grip, there you've got it. Now close your eyes, and wait. What does your body tell you to do?" Ella closed her eyes, and listened for a moment. She leaned forward a little and her broom glided forwards a few inches. Opening her eyes she squealed in glee, and leaned forwards even more. This time she took off going a bit faster than before, and leaned to the side a little. Her Nimbus responded instantly by swerving to the side, Harry was watching with an amused expression about five meters above her. She lifted her broom handle a little bit and began the climb towards him. She turned to face him, but he already gone off towards the castle.  
  
"How about a game of follow the leader!?" Ella shouted her response and chased after him. She could tell he was holding back for her sake, and she wanted to show him he didn't have to wait. She leaned forward over her handle and took off like a rocket. It was an amazing rush, like nothing she had ever felt before. Like a roller coaster, only she was in control. Ella doubled back and performed a series of figure eights.  
  
Harry overtook her on her right, and she yelled in protest. He shot off ahead of her laughing, and she followed, willing her broomstick to go faster. Harry suddenly flew straight up into the air, and Ella followed, yanking the nose of her broom up. She was immediately grateful for the footholds; as gravity wasn't keen on letting her go. Soon though she had gotten the hang of it, and was keeping up with Harry quite well.  
  
Harry was trying his best to stump her without hurting her. He performed a series of shallow dives, loop the loops, and sharp turns, and was about to attempt a sloth grip roll when he nearly collided with an owl.  
  
"ARGH! WATCH IT!" The bird hooted indignantly and alighted on his broomstick. Harry reached forwards and untied the little package on its leg. He unwrapped it and Ella flew to his side just in time to hear him gasp.  
  
"What is it?" He handed her the letter, holding a little vial in his hand. Ella uncrumpled the parchment and read:

_Harry,  
This might help your professor. Administer it directly; make sure she gets some hot chocolate with it. Don't tell anyone, and make sure she doesn't remember you giving her the antidote. Take care of your girl.  
-Snuffles_

Ella blushed slightly at the implications of "your girl" and then it hit her. Antidote... professor... Professor Fairburn! Ella turned to Harry waving the parchment in her hand.  
  
"Do you realize? Do you!" Harry had already tucked the vial into his pocket. Ella shoved the letter in her robes, and looked at Harry. He nodded and bent over his Firebolt. Ella did the same and they took off like simultaneous firecrackers. Flying at a breakneck speed towards the castle they came gliding to a stop at the door. Harry rolled off his broom and pushed open the castle doors. He ran through gripping his broomstick in his hand and sped off in the direction of the hospital wing. Ella followed him breathlessly.  
  
They ran past the Great Hall, which was emitting a strange light, and some sort of singing noise. There was no time to stop though. They were running as if their lives depended on it. It wasn't their lives they were worried about. It was Professor Fairburn's. A stitch was developing in Ella's side when Harry came to a stop in front of a still life of food. He reached out and tickled the pear.  
  
"Harry, this isn't the-"The painting swung back, revealing a bustling room full of the strangest creatures Ella had possibly ever seen. They all stopped bustling for a moment, and the sound of dishes clattering and food simmering was hushed. Harry stood panting in the portrait hole.  
  
"Hot chocolate..." (Gasp.) "Hospital wing"... "(Pant.) "NOW!" About a hundred pairs of large yellow eyes blinked back at him. Several long pointy ears wiggled slightly in confusion. "Oh.... Ruddy house elves..." Harry slammed the portrait shut and took off again. They arrived at the hospital wing a minute later, and stopped outside the door. Harry held a finger to his lips and motioned for Ella to tip toe after him. They snuck in quietly. The light in Madame Pomfrey's office was off, signaling that she wasn't there. They raced to the end of the long row of beds and threw back the curtains to reveal Marissa Fairburn's latent form.  
  
She was pallid and looking a bit worse for the wear. He skin was a putrid shade of green. And her hair was damp, slicked to her forehead. Her arm was thrown over her head again, and her other arm lay across her chest, her fist clenched in pain. Oliver was sleeping in a chair next to her bed, his head drooped onto his chest, snoring slightly.  
  
A steaming mug of hot chocolate rested on the bedside table.  
  
Harry seized it and pulled the little vial from his robes. Ella reached her arm behind Professor Fairburn's back and lifted her up. Her mouth fell open slightly, and Harry tipped the vial in, emptying it's contents between her lips. Her eyes flew open and spluttered slightly. Harry gently put the cup of hot chocolate in her hands.  
  
"Drink it." To weak to protest she obligingly lifted the cup to her mouth. Her hands were shaking violently, and Ella reached out to assist her. Professor Fairburn shook her head and Ella retracted her hand. The sickly woman downed the mug of chocolate in a few large swigs and collapsed against her pillow. Ella grabbed the mug before it hit the ground and set it on the bedside table. Harry was sitting on the edge of the bed looking down at his professor. She was sound asleep, but this time she was sleeping rather contentedly the color returning to her cheeks. They left the hospital wing quietly, basking in their triumphs of the day.  
  
"Do you hear that?" Harry stopped and turned to Ella.  
  
"Hear what? Not massive snakes in the pipes again, Hermione told me about that!" "No, shhh! Listen." Sure enough there was a garbled noise floating down the hallway. It was a happy and it sounded as if several people were singing the same song to several different tunes. They began to jog towards the noise and as they got closer the words became clearer.  
  
_"...old and bald  
  
Or young with scabby knees,  
  
Our heads could do with filling  
  
With some interesting stuff,"_  
  
Ella shot Harry a look, as they got closer to the door of the Great Hall. The strange light was still emanating from between the cracks and the music was muffled, seeping underneath the door.  
  
_"For now they're bare and full of air,  
  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,"_  
  
Ella threw open the doors. Her father, Ron, Hermione, an extremely short professor, and an extremely huge hairy boulder were seated around a campfire in the middle of the great hall floor. The house tables were pushed back against the wall to make room, and several cushy purple sleeping bags were rolled up on the ground. They were all singing heartily, Dumbledore conducting them with his wand. Ron seemed to be singing to the tune of Yankee Doodle, Hermione to a Bach concerto, the little professor to the three grenadiers, and the giant boulder of hair was hollering the words to no particular tune at all. Dumbledore stood up to conduct the last few lines of the song, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief.  
  
_"So teach us things worth knowing,  
  
Bring back what we forgot,  
  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest  
  
And learn until our brains all rot."_  
  
The word rot was drawn out by all and the song was ended with a fit of hearty laughter and giggles from Hermione and the little professor. Ella and Harry stepped into the Great Hall and applauded loudly. Harry whistled at full volume and Ella shouted "Bravo, bravo!" The odd little group turned and shouted their welcomes.  
  
"Ah, Harry and Ella, come and join us. I expect you had a nice evening?" Dumbledore stared at them knowingly over his half moon spectacles. Ella felt herself turn a little red around the edges. Ron nudged Hermione knowingly.  
  
"We're having a camp-in Harry! Marshmallow roasting, and sleeping under the stars!" Hermione motioned to the ceiling, which was twinkling and quite beautiful. "I brought your pajamas down Ella, and Ron's got yours Harry. Take a seat, we were about to get out the marshmallows." Hermione motioned her wand at the ground next to her. A bag of marshmallows appeared.  
  
"Materialization! Brilliant Ms. Granger, that's a seventh year spell! Five points to griffin- oh deary me!" The little professor had jumped to his feet excitedly. Hermione was looking rather pleased with herself. "I'd forgotten! It's not yet the school year." The little man turned to face Ella and the firelight lit up his face. He was quite a comical figure. About four feet tall at the most, with a wrinkled face and a little white beard. His robes were dotted with little symbols that Ella assumed had something to do with the subject he taught.  
"Most pleased to meet you! I came to Hogwarts shortly after you left for the Americas! Professor Flitwick, teacher of charms, head of Ravenclaw house. I understand you'll be gracing our seventh year dormitory?" Ella nodded and held out her hand. He took it an pumped it up and down enthusiastically. "Now back to the festivities, pass me a marshmallow will you Hagrid?"  
  
To her surprise the giant boulder of hair moved. It unfolded itself and Ella realized that it was a man. An extremely large and intimidating one.  
  
"Right, marshmallow, how many'll that be professor?" The giant reached out with one trash can lid sized hand and grabbed the bag of marshmallows. The bag disappeared momentarily, and reappeared as he dropped into Professor Flitwick's lap. "Allrigh' there Ella? Rubeus Hagrid. Keep of the keys and grounds. Care of Magical Creatures Professor." Ella decided to smile and wave at this introduction. She was afraid of what would happen to her hand if she held it out to him. Harry sensed her apprehension and leaned over to her as they seated themselves around the fire.  
  
"He's only half giant, and he's really great. You'll love him in about five minutes." Ella smiled at Hagrid who gave her a red-cheeked toothy smile back. Harry squeezed her hand reassuringly.  
  
"In honor of my daughters return," Dumbledore had stood up again. "I propose that we sing the school song one more time!" He was answered with various groans, but they seemed to float right over his head. "How about a round! Ron, Hermione, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid, Harry, and then you Ella. I'll count off. One two ready go!"  
  
"Hogwarts Hogwarts hoggy warty Hogwarts, teach us something please..." Ron began in his slightly off key, alto, and Hermione joined in with her airy soprano. Soon they were all signing delightedly. That's when it her. Ella didn't care that she was about to risk her life for the sake of a world that she barely knew. She realized with a smile, that she'd do anything to save it.  
  
Killer-purple-froggy: FYE, fifteen dollars for hours and hours of obsessive entertainment. BEST MOVIE EVER.  
  
Magical Muggle: I updated I updated I updated! You are the entertaining one.  
  
Irish Maiden: Thanks for the reviews!  
  
Eyes of Emerald: CHECK OUT ALL HER STORIES CAUSE THEY ROCK.  
  
Anybody I forgot, yell at me in a review.


	10. Porridge For Lack of a Better Title

A/N: Well, that wasn't too long of a wait was it? In Dulcis standards anyways. Enjoy! REVIEW!  
  
Ella sat at the Gryffindor table staring blankly into a bowl of porridge. Harry was sitting across from her but she hardly noticed. They'd been up till at least three in the morning last night, singing various renditions of the Hogwarts school song as the indoor campfire died down. This morning Hermione had decided that everyone needed to wake up at six thirty in order to put the Great Hall to rights. They'd spent the last hour and a half pushing tables back and sweeping up ashes. Hermione and Ron had just departed, and the porridge had just appeared on the table.  
  
Ella wasn't the least bit interested in it. She looked up at Harry, and noted that he too seemed to be falling asleep in his bowl. Ella gave up trying to stay awake and laid her head on the table. She was just drifting to sleep when the sound of loud whistling jolted her back to the land of the living. Oliver had just strolled into the Great Hall dragging his tired looking girlfriend behind him. Oliver walked along merrily; his capped perched at a jaunty angle on his head. Professor Fairburn looked considerably better, although she still appeared rather peaky and ill. But everyone could tell that the worst was over.  
  
"Good Morning all! Guess who's back! Made a miraculous recovery last night didn't you?" Professor Fairburn nodded wearily in their direction and slumped over to the table. She pulled her wand out of her robes, and waved it at the table. A pot of strong black coffee appeared before them. She poured herself a goblet full, and sat down next to Ella on the long bench. Oliver plopped down across from them with Harry and helped himself to the tea on the table.  
  
"Feeling better, Professor?" Ella kicked Harry under the table and he snorted into his goblet of pumpkin juice, jerking awake.  
  
"Yes, feeling better?" He wiped his face on his sleeve and glared indignantly at Ella.  
  
"Much. Although I do think I would have made a full recovery if I'd been allowed some sleep last night." Fairburn glowered at Oliver who stared sheepishly into his tea. "When the fever broke I was forced to spend half the night celebrating jubilantly, as soon as I was able to stand on my own."  
  
"I was happy." Oliver retorted resentfully. Professor Fairburn pulled a face in Oliver's direction, and he contorted his own into an equally grotesque expression. Harry jumped back and looked a little sickened.  
  
"Um Oliver," Harry shifted down the table a few feet. "That's my leg." Oliver turned an intense shade of red and folded his hands above the table while Ella and Professor Fairburn collapsed into a fit of giggles.  
  
"Shut it." Both of the boys yelled, lunging across the table at their respective offenders.  
  
"STOP!" Professor Fairburn screamed. Harry stopped halfway across the table and Oliver withdrew his hand, which had been headed somewhere entirely inappropriate for the breakfast table. "Lessons will begin in a half hour. Harry, Ella, push these tables apart. It's going to rain; we'll be inside today." Harry groaned at the thought of pushing the tables around again. Ella glanced up at the ceiling of the great hall. It was blue and still tinged with pink around the edges from the sunrise. Not a cloud in sight.  
  
"How do you know it's going to rain?" Ella questioned her professor as she stood up from the table. Fairburn smiled and leaned down. She pulled up her robes to reveal a nasty looking scar across her knee.  
  
"Curse scar. Harry's warns him about the whereabouts of Lord Voldemort and his minions, mine predicts the weather." She paused thoughtfully. "Useful little bugger, really." She patted her leg fondly and let her robes billow down to the ground again.  
  
Oliver jumped up from the table still thoroughly embarrassed about the recent leg-grabbing incident. He muttered something about going down to visit Hagrid and followed Professor Fairburn's retreating form out of the hall. Ella and Harry were left alone at the table.  
  
"So," Harry looked at her intently, his gaze made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She shifted on the bench, and stared into her porridge again. "I suppose we'll have to go and see my father today and tell him about Sirius, and..." Ella trailed off dejectedly. "That other stuff." Harry stood up and motioned for her to walk with him. They exited the Great Hall and Harry held out his arm. Ella took it and they walked back to the common room. 'What a Gryffindor...' Ella mentally rolled her eyes at his chivalry. A few portraits nodded at them as they walked down the hallway, others stretched and looked annoyed at the students disturbing their last few days to sleep in.  
  
"I know what it's like." Harry's sudden burst of speech startled Ella and she looked at him curiously.  
  
"Know what what's like?" Ella raised an eyebrow curiously. Harry sighed again, sounding tired. The dark look that Ella was becoming so familiar with passed over his eyes.  
  
"Having a purpose." He frowned, unhappy with his wording. "I mean, we all have purposes, but having an obligation. Not being allowed to choose how you want to live your life." He began to shuffle his feet, and looked at the ground while he was walking. Ella nodded.  
  
"I don't know. I only found out yesterday what I have to do, and... I guess I haven't realized the impact of it yet." Harry nodded and gripped her arm rather tightly, continuing his explanation.  
  
"This kind of risking our necks isn't like... donating a kidney." Ella fought back a smile, which faded when she saw noticed Harry's serious expression. "It's much, much, worse. Sure we're saving the wizarding world, but did anyone ever ask us if that was what we wanted? We don't have the option to quit at all." Ella stopped in front of the common room door, and fixed him with an intent gaze.  
  
"Why not?" She stated this rather flatly, and Harry looked as though he hadn't ever considered that being a question.  
  
"What?!" He spluttered, releasing his grip on her arm. Ella crossed her arms and stood in front of the portrait hole, blocking him. He wasn't going to run from his one. This was a conversation they BOTH needed to have.  
  
"Why can't we say no? Who's going to stop you if you decide you don't want to fight Voldemort? Who's going to do anything about it if I decide I don't want to be a key to unlock this weapon?" Harry stared at her as if she very strongly resembled a Blast Ended Skrewt.  
  
"Well for one, Voldemort's trying to kill us every chance he gets-" Ella frowned.  
  
"I don't recall any recent attempts on my life do you?"  
  
"Well,-"  
  
"I said recent." Harry stopped, at a loss for words. Ella decided to get to the point before he got too mad at her.  
  
"There's another reason for this obligation, Harry. The reason I do it, and the reason you do it." Harry looked confused and angry.  
  
"And what's that?" He spat, narrowing his eyes in her direction. Ella grew suddenly exasperated with him. She flung open the door to their common room, and stomped inside. Harry scrambled after her as she barreled down the hallway towards her bedroom. "Wait a minute, what are you mad for?!" He shouted. Ella stopped in her doorway and spun around to face him, livid.  
  
"THINK ABOUT IT! DO YOU GRYFFINDORS EVER USE YOUR BLOODY BRAINS?" Harry took a step back, obviously stunned by this sudden outburst. It was clear he had no idea what to do. "You aren't doing this because you have to. Nobodies making you save the world Harry. You do it for another reason, and I can't tell you that. You'll just have to figure it out on your own." And with that Ella slammed her door, and stalked off to the dressing room. She carefully avoided the mirror, which sniffed resentfully at being ignored.  
  
Taking deep breaths, Ella pulled a set of school robes from the shelf. She slipped into the black skirt and tank top she always wore underneath before dropping the thick, airy robes over her head. She stepped into a pair of flip-flops, the familiarity of what she had grown up with calming her.  
  
She sat down on a shelf in the dark confines of her closet and rubbed her temples. BOYS. They were so aggravating, always hassling her, even the nice ones like Harry. Ella's thoughts slipped back to her hometown in America. Brandon. That kid had been the biggest pain in the-  
  
"Ella?" A soft knock at the closet door startled her. She waved her hand at the door and it opened. Harry stood there in his school robes, His ears the color of the Gryffindor badge on his chest. The candle that hovered above Ella's head lit itself and she motioned for Harry to come inside. He stepped into the little closet looking very uncomfortable but Ella could have cared less. Her head hurt and the last thing she was going to worry about was Harry being shy around girls. He sat down across from her and folded his hands in his lap.  
  
"Yes?" Ella looked up at him and waited for him to speak. Without meeting her eyes he whispered,  
  
"I know what you meant." Ella nodded and stood up. She grabbed her hairbrush off the shelf and walked to stand in front of the mirror. She began to run her brush through the dark brown mess on her head, brushing it back to its normal sleek state. She looked down to find a barrette. Harry still wasn't talking. Ella looked back up at the mirror and was startled to find that he had come to stand behind her. Her fist closed around the barrette and she stared defiantly at her reflection, waiting for an answer.  
  
To her surprise, Harry moved closer and put his hand over the one she had enclosed around the barrette.  
  
"I do it because I love them." He spoke in barely a whisper, and Ella found herself leaning back to hear him better. Her back scarcely met his chest. Electricity sparked up and down her spine making her shiver. He continued, his voice shaky and a shade deeper than usual. "I love them all. Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Dumbledore, Hogwarts, and my parents."  
  
Ella decided to remain in close proximity.  
  
"It's what my mum and dad would have wanted me to do." And still she said nothing. It felt as though talking would ruin this moment. They stood still for an instant, staring at their reflection in the mirror. Dark hair against darker hair, pale skin against tan, blue eyes against green. Complimentary colors. Ella smiled at Harry in the mirror and leaned against him slightly, acknowledging him silently in a way she knew he would appreciate.  
  
"You do it for them. You don't do it because you have to, you do it because they need you too." Harry nodded and replied.  
  
"You understood all along, even before I did." Ella blushed the slightest bit, a raspberry tint creeping up her cheeks. Harry must have found this very endearing. The hand that wasn't occupied on top of hers began to move slowly and awkwardly towards her waist. Ella didn't protest.  
  
The mirror did.  
  
"SPARE ME!" It cried out in an exasperate tone. "GET TO CLASS!" Ella glared at the mirror, and then she remembered, CLASS!!!  
  
She and Harry flew apart, They stared at each other momentarily, looking rather embarrassed. Harry motioned at the door.  
  
"She's going to kill us, isn't she?" Ella smiled and nodded before flying out the door, Harry at her heels.  
  
Oliver Wood skimmed the turrets of the Hogwarts castle on his broomstick, circling carefully, eyeing his prey through a hefty pair of Omnioculars. The lanky blonde was standing by an open window in the great hall, tapping her foot impatiently, and checking her watch much too frequently. It was annoying Oliver to no end. Well, that was going to have to stop, Oliver decided. He shot forward on his broomstick, towards the open window next to Marissa. She was still leaning against the sill, unaware of his stealthy approach.  
  
Or... so he thought.  
  
The minute he burst through the window she whirled around, wand at the ready, and shouted, "Constitutum Defixi!". Oliver's broomstick stopped dead and he tumbled to the ground with a thump. He groaned audibly as the figure of his triumphant girlfriend loomed over him.  
  
"Serves you right you big prat! Trying to sneak up on me like that! It's a damn good thing Moody was my mentor! For me that is, in your case, however-"She was interrupted by the doors of the Great Hall being thrown open, and two very red cheeked teenagers running in. Marissa put her foot on Oliver's chest and stared down her very unpunctual pupils. Wonderful teaching tactic, really. Harry looked at the ceiling, Ella stared back calmly, every bit her father's daughter.  
  
"Sorry, we're late Professor." Ella spoke first, and then prodded Harry in the side, when he continued to say nothing.  
  
"Err...Right. Sorry." Ella didn't offer an explanation and frankly, Professor Fairburn wasn't sure she wanted one.  
  
"Don't let it happen again, please." There was no answer from her students, as they seemed to be occupied with her feet. Marissa looked down, and realized she was still standing on Oliver. Oops. She lifted her foot from his chest and he stood up, brushing at the footprint on his jumper.  
  
"You're dismissed, Mr. Wood." Harry snorted, and Oliver leaned close to her ear.  
  
"Shall I come by your office at eight for... detention?" She smacked him upside the head. Professor Fairburn waved her wand at him and an invisible hand grabbed him by the scruff of the neck throwing him out the door. Another wave of her wand and the doors slammed shut. There was the sound of a small scuffle, and then a muffled,  
  
"All right, I'll see you at half past." Professor Fairburn rolled her eyes, and directed her attention back to the two rather amused looking teenagers before her.  
  
"Right then. Shield spells. Have at it." Their professor stared them down expectantly. Ella decided that the best course of action would be to take her defensive position. She squared her feet with her shoulders, and raised her wand above her head, ready to defend herself. Harry had taken up his position next to her, he dueled with his wand out and ready, feet spread wide, crouched down a bit. A bit eccentric, but then again, this was Harry.  
  
Professor Fairburn continued to stare at them.  
  
Standing perfectly still.  
  
Not – moving – in – the - slightest.  
  
Harry seemed to let his guard down a little but Ella anticipated the attack before it happened. Fairburn suddenly leapt into motion  
  
"TARANTELLEGRA" She shot the spell at Harry who hissed his incantation and deflected it just in time. Unfortunately he deflected it right into Ella, who had already thrown up her shield just in case.  
  
"PROTEOGO!" Ella screamed the spell at the top of her lungs. Harry and Fairburn both dove, flattening themselves onto the ground. The spell bounced off her shield and skimmed over Harry's head, the smell of burnt hair filled the air. The jet of orange light shot into the Slytherin table and a spot on the benches exploded, sending slivers of wood in every direction. They scattered across the floor, then immediately leapt up again, dancing. If wood chips bouncing up and down of their own accord could be called dancing.  
  
Harry whistled and stood up shaking his head in mock distress.  
  
"Pity. That's Malfoy's spot." Ella stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do. Professor Fairburn stood rooted to the spot. She had gotten to her feet, and was gazing at Ella with an odd expression on her face.  
  
"How did you get that spell so strong?" Fairburn shot the question at Ella, her voice as sharp as the edge of a knife.  
  
"I... said it louder?" Ella formulated her response carefully, yet it still sounded dimwitted to her. Fairburn shook her head.  
  
"You're kidding me. Show me a lumos, say it normally first." Ella shrugged and held out her wand.  
  
"Lumos!" Slightly blue light shot out of the end of her wand. A normal wandlight. Fairburn nodded.  
  
"Now do it again. Only this time say it 'louder'" Ella shrugged again, thrust out her wand and screamed:  
  
"LUMOS" Her wand light burst out of the tip of her wand blinding her. She immediately pointed it at the ground and blinked a few times to rid herself of the spots floating in her vision. As her eyesight cleared she could see Professor Fairburn standing quite still in awe.  
  
"Amazing..." Fairburn whispered. "There's something odd about you child. No sixteen year old witch should be that powerful, I don't care who your father is..." Harry was positively beaming for some reason, and Ella was beginning to feel quite uncomfortable. As if on cue her father's voice filled the Great Hall magically magnified.  
  
"ELLA, HARRY, MY OFFICE PLEASE."  
  
Ten minutes later Ella was seated in front of her father's majestic looking desk with her hands clasped in her lap. Harry was slumped into the purple armchair next to hers, trying to look respectful through the expression of doom on his face. Ella was puzzled at Harry's misery. In about five minutes he had gone from gleeful over the destruction of the Slytherin table to despondent over being called to the headmaster's office. Ella was about to tell him to cheer up because his gloom was rubbing off on her, when Dumbledore suddenly appeared in his chair.  
  
Ella jumped back in her chair and squealed. Harry merely blinked and sat up straight. Ella hurriedly smoothed her robes and sat up straight again. Dumbledore's face remained placid, but Ella could have sworn she saw his eyes twinkling mischievously. Dumbledore's long slender fingers were clasped together and his chin was resting on them. He lifted his head and spoke.  
  
"I can assure you, Harry, that no one has died, Quidditch will take place this year, and Dolores Umbridge is currently taking a leave of absence from the ministry." Dumbledore smiled a little, and Harry lifted up the corner of his mouth politely. "However. I'm sorry to inform you that the last two weeks of your summer will not be spent at Hogwarts." Harry slumped back into his chair again, and sighed loudly. Ella's curiosity peaked, and a twinge of sadness blossomed in her chest.  
  
"I understand that Sirius has been in contact with you." Dumbledore motioned at Ella's eyes. "He's also taken the liberty to explain some rather important details of your... destiny, to you." His eyes darkened momentarily and he sighed loudly. "Of course it's probably a good thing he did. As Harry well knows I have a tendency to try and shield those I love from the truth. Because the truth is usually quite painful." Harry turned his head away from them and Dumbledore waited for him to compose himself before he continued.  
  
"You might have already guessed Harry, that Sirius and I decided it would be best for you to spend the rest of the summer someplace safe. Sirius was against sending you back to the Dursley's at first, until I proposed another option. You will be returning to your aunt and uncles house tomorrow, but you won't be alone. I'm sending Ella with you."  
  
Harry and Ella both gasped simultaneously. Ella had heard enough about Harry's life with the Dursley's to be properly terrified of going there, and Harry was vehemently against either of them going at all. Dumbledore held up a hand, and their words of objection were stillborn.  
  
"You are aware Harry, that your Aunt and Uncle cannot stand having one wizard in the house. Thus resulting in your mistreatment for many years? Well, the staff and I have decided that it's time to get a little revenge." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled again. "Can you imagine the look on your Uncle's face when not one, but two Wizards show up on his doorstep?" Dumbledore was positively gleaming. Ella wondered if he was quite sane. Harry was the first to choke a few sentences out.  
  
"What are we supposed to do if.. if.." Dumbledore drummed his fingers on the desktop.  
  
"That's precisely it Harry. They cannot do a thing about it. And I do believe you two still have your valid temporary wizarding licenses?"  
  
They sat in silence for a few moments. Ella could hear the wheels in Harry's head turning as he put it all together. Suddenly his face broke into the largest smile she had ever seen.  
  
"Are you saying... That Ella and I can go to the Dursley's, and do... magic?" Dumbledore stared at the ceiling innocently.  
  
"Oh, I was thinking a few charms here and there, nothing that would cause bodily harm of course." Ella was feeling a bit overwhelmed. "Just a bit of before the start of term fun. SAFE, harmless, purely messy, irritating fun."  
  
"What d'you say Ella? Will you come with me?" Harry was exuberant, and Dumbledore was staring at the ceiling again. Ella began to doubt her parentage.  
  
They were both mad. But then again, they were both male, Ella though pensively. She ran through her options in her head. Go with Harry, prevent him from doing any damage to his Aunt and Uncle that would get him in trouble, or stay at Hogwarts.  
  
By herself.  
  
"Sure. I'll come." The words escaped her lips before she had really processed them, and she clapped her hand over her mouth, terrified at herself. Harry leapt out of his chair and punched the air in excitement. Dumbledore checked his watch.  
  
"Well, I suggest you go and finish your defense lesson, and then you can go pack. Leave your school things in your rooms; we'll move them to your respective dormitories before you get back. I have some business to take care of, so I won't be seeing you two till the start of term feast. Have fun, and be good." Dumbledore winked and motioned at the door. It swung open and the spiral staircase began to spin itself down to the ground. Ella turned back to say good-bye, but found that he was gone.  
  
Harry was already flying down the staircase, and when Ella caught up with him he was standing at the bottom waiting impatiently. They walked back to the Great Hall side by side, Harry gesticulating wildly and Ella carefully evading his arms as they swung haphazardly through the air.  
  
"I've never wanted to go back to the Dursley's before. This is bloody amazing!" Ella nodded and stepped out of the way as he threw his arms open wide. "After sixteen years I can finally get revenge. I don't want to hurt them, I just want them to be terrified out of their wits. Especially Dudley." Harry leapt into the air, reaching for an imaginary snitch, and landed on the ground in front of Ella. She jumped back, surprised.  
  
"And it's all thanks to you too! If you hadn't come along I would have never gotten this chance! You're amazing!" Harry was intoxicated at the prospect of fun at the Dursley's, Ella knew that compliments like that were a rare prize from him. She laughed in response and clapped her hand over his mouth.  
  
"Stop already! I'm going with you but we still have our DADA lesson. Unless you want Fairburn to blow your head off with a stunner, you had better pull yourself together."  
  
Harry grasped Ella's hands. Her palms immediately grew sweaty. He looked into her eyes meditatively and stopped jumping up and down for a moment. Ella forgot about Professor Fairburn.  
  
"There's something about you." He looked down at the ground; shy Harry was coming back slowly. Ella regretted snapping him out of his happiness. "You really do bring out the best in me. Ever since you came, I-"  
  
"I hate to interrupt your tender moment, but we do have a lesson to finish Mr. Potter. Kindly release Ms. Dumbledore and allow her to explode the rest of the house tables."  
  
Harry swept a bow.  
  
"Of course. Right away Mrs. Wood..." He threw up his shield just in time. Professor Fairburn raised her wand and shouted.  
  
"FURNUNCULUS" Harry's shield deflected the curse and it faded away. He strolled innocently into the great hall, slipping his wand into his back pocket.  
  
"YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE A BUTTOCK LIKE THAT POTTER!" Professor Fairburn glared at Harry's back. Ella couldn't help grinning. Professor Fairburn shot her an exasperated look. "Honestly, I don't know how you put up with him." Ella turned on her heel and followed after Harry.  
  
"Oh, I don't know... I follow the example of a similar situation." Ella covered her head and ran. Harry's laughter ringing through the great hall, and a slug-belching curse whizzing it's way over her head.  
  
A/N:  
  
WhiteriderSD: You're too picky. :-P lol. GRIP! HOOK! makes a claw  
  
Ever In The Shadows: you have an interesting review leaving format. I like reviews. Cheers.  
  
Magical Muggle (aka. The entertaining one): You write awesome reviews. NOVEL OOTP LENGTH REVIEWS. They make me happy. Veil veil veil.  
  
Jim: Your right. There's McGonagall's fierce loyalty to Dumbledore, her admiration, the fact that she's his right hand, erm... woman. Cheers.  
  
Mdemanatee: Thanks! I looked at your story too, interesting pairing... lol.  
  
And as usual where would I be without my beta: Eyes of Emerald, or her  
dormant counterpart: Quaintessence. 


	11. Extra Extra! Read all about it!

Important Update!  
  
All right, sorry to get your hopes up but this isn't really a full chapter. This is a notice to all my faithful readers. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not report this story. I'll give you part of the Dursley scene to pacify you,  
but this is mostly an author note.  
  
Due to a stroke of random inspiration in Geometry today, Dumbledore's Daughter is undergoing a series of major revisions that involve me sitting on my bedroom floor surrounded by my gigantic story chart and every single chapter printed out and double spaced for marking and editing out waffle. I  
know exactly where I want to go with this now, and in order for me to finish you need to be patient and allow me to do some planning. This may take awhile. I might post a new version, or just replace chapters. Either way, don't give up! This will continue! I will finish! Leave your E-mail in  
a review if you want to be kept up to date on the status of revisions.  
  
Another thing. I'm looking for another person to beta. I need some more  
betas for the revised chapters even though my current one is doing an amazing job. If you're interested leave a review, im me (grayscale dream),  
or email me.  
  
I officially dub this endeavor:  
Project Waffle Revision  
  
Wish me luck. E-mails of encouragement are welcome.  
  
-Dulcis.  
  
And now a short Dursley tidbit to keep you happy.  
  
Original author note: I have to go let my Kneazle in! Yes it's true, I have become firmly convinced that my cat is part Kneazle. Just like Crookshanks. I know what you're thinking, "Next thing you know we'll be seeing her at King's Cross bouncing off the barrier between platforms nine and ten, pounding on the wall yelling DOBBY LET ME THROUGH, I'M GOING TO MISS THE TRAIN." Not likely, seeing as how I can't get anyone to take me to London. Read on faithful reviewers! (Raiders of the Lost Ark theme plays)  
  
"I SIMPLY WON'T HAVE IT!" Petunia Dursley was standing in the doorway screaming. Her face was pink with the exertion of blocking the door way and telling Harry and Ella to sod off.  
  
"MUUUUUM" Dudley Dursley was jiggling away on the stairs, wailing through layers of chin.  
  
"OUT BOY! TAKE THAT FREAK WITH YOU!" Vernon Dursley was quite purple in the face from hollering and dragging trunks down the driveway.  
  
Harry stood coolly in front of Ella, a smirk on his face, and his wand in hand. He muttered a spell and the trunks floated into the air and out of Uncle Vernon's reach. Harry zoomed them inside so that the muggles in the neighborhood wouldn't see. Aunt Petunia leapt out of the way so as to avoid the flying trunks and Dudley screamed and rolled down the stairs as they glided over his head. He landed in a pile at the bottom of the stairs and Petunia shrieked, running over to pull him up.  
  
Ella stared in horror at the spectacle before her. Harry was surveying it calmly, as if he forced his way into his Aunt and Uncle's house everyday. Dudley had finally gotten off the floor and he was clutching his bottom with a look of pure terror at Ella and Harry. This whiny lard bottom didn't look very devious.  
  
Ella's opinion quickly changed.  
  
Petunia released Dudley from her clutches and he charged Harry. His fists were suddenly devoid of his bottom and balled in front of his chest. Ella leapt forward, and someone grabbed her from behind. She immediately kicked out, but it was too late. Before Harry could do anything in his defense he was stumbling backwards with quite an impressive bruise forming on his right eye.  
  
"HARRY!" A sweaty hand clamped over her mouth and nose.  
  
"Quiet you!" Shouted a gruff voice. Ella realized Vernon Dursley was restraining her. Honestly, the NERVE. She bit down hard on his hand. He yelped and moved his hand to her throat. Harry had pulled his wand, and Dudley was drawing his arm back for another punch.  
  
A vase shattered on the telephone table for no particular reason. Aunt Petunia squeaked and clutched Dudley again he tried to push his mother off to get at Harry, but her claw like grip was no match for her whale of a son. Vernon Dursley squeezed Ella even tighter. Harry stood to his full height and the house began to shake. He was losing his temper along with control of his magic. He turned slowly, and when he saw his uncle restraining Ella, his face became contorted with fury.  
  
"You will release her immediately." Harry spat. Ella kicked Vernon again. It achieved nothing except a tighter grip. It was getting hard to breathe now.  
  
"I'll release her when you get out of my house!" Vernon sounded confident, he obviously thought he had the upper hand. Harry slowly raised his wand and pointed it at Vernon's head. Vernon took a step backwards and Ella stumbled a bit, forced to follow him. Spots were beginning to swim across her vision.  
  
"Let....her....GO." Harry pressed his wand into Vernon's throat. The plum colored Muggle let out a strangled noise.  
  
"You-You're not allowed to do m- m-magic over the holidays." Vernon stammered and clutched onto Ella for dear life. The world was slipping away as he gripped her throat. Ella heard Harry's voice in the distance. He was yelling. There was a flash of light, and loud noise. Then for the third time in a month, she lost all consciousness. Her last thought before the darkness overcame her; this couldn't be healthy.  
  
Waffle. Pure waffle. Thanks to the new reviewers, stubble and Twlight Moon.  
  
...and off she goes. 


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